


A Tale of Two Guardians

by Starl1ghtChild



Series: Destined [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Game: Destiny: The Taken King DLC, Post-Game: Destiny: The Taken King DLC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 73,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24775816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starl1ghtChild/pseuds/Starl1ghtChild
Summary: previously named "Destined," "A Tale of Two Guardians" is the love story of a Titan and a Warlock who have both lost so much, with nothing left to lose but each other.Learn their story through her eyes as Fireteam Dauntless faces one of the greatest threats to the Last City since Twilight Gap.
Relationships: Female Guardian/Male Guardian (Destiny), Guardian/Guardian (Destiny)
Series: Destined [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1791886
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. A New Guardian

It all started when I woke up. 

I remember the sky burned amber and red with the setting sun, and an ambient AI hovered over me, calling me ‘Guardian’ and introducing herself as Dawn. She said she was my Ghost. 

I remember running and the sound of a foreign language echoing over the post-apocalyptic landscape that was now the European Dead Zone (EDZ). Stone buildings were overgrown with foliage and the air seemed to tingle with a strange energy that made the hairs on my neck and arms stand up. It took a while to get used to.

When my Ghost found me, I had no memory of who I was. Only a pair of scarred and broken dog tags around my neck, the name “Genesis” barely legible. I remember seeing my reflection in the broken windows; silver-white hair and tired cobalt blue eyes that almost glowed with the Light within me. I remember desperately hoping that something would spark in my brain, trigger a memory so I could remember who I was, but to no avail.

My Ghost tells me I am French, based off of the curses that I let out in the midst of battle. But she tells me not to think about it. That life is behind me.

We met a few months after I had been at the Tower, while on patrol at the Ishtar Sink on Venus. Ikora wanted me to investigate a strange reading coming from the entrance to the Vault of Glass. I was gazing down the scope of my 1000-Yard-Stare, my finger hovering over the trigger as the retical settled over the eye of a Vex Harpy. But a millisecond after I pulled the trigger, a flash of arc struck the same Harpy I shot, and to my absolute horror, the bullet from my rifle embedded into another Guardian’s shoulder. He stumbled and sank down to one knee, clutching his shoulder.

“ _Oh merde_ ,” I cursed, switching the sniper out for a hand cannon and I started, like an absolute idiot, to run across the Waking Ruins without my Ghost. 

“Guardian?” I heard her voice call out after me, obviously stopping her scan of the Vault’s entrance. “Genesis!” 

I shot down Goblins and Harpies that shot at me, activated my Radiance, and threw fusion grenades at the Vex that started to advance on the downed stranger. By the time I got to the man’s side, he had pulled the bullet out of his shoulder and his Ghost was patching him up. I felt awful, but at the same time, I was fuming. 

“What the hell?” I shouted, throwing down my hand cannon as I stormed his way, the solar energy around my body fading away. “Are you insane?!”

“Am I insane? Are you?!” He snapped back, holding the bullet between his index and middle fingers. His robotic voice crackled with rage. “You fucking shot me! Why the fuck would you pull the trigger when another person is already clearly engaging?!”

“ _Vous devez faire attention à votre environnement_!” I snapped back. “ _J'étais engagé_!”

He blinked a couple of times before I realized he had no idea what I just said. “What… What did you just say?”

I sighed and pinched my brow, “Never mind. Are you alright?”

That’s when he started to look me up and down, and he paced around me. A lot of my armor was weathered and obviously old, but it held up well enough for me to get my missions and patrols done. However, compared to him, it was obvious that I was a new Guardian. His armor was well kept and stronger than mine. I saw a look of mischief appear in his eyes.

“I am completely fine.” He said matter-of-factly. “You, on the other hand, seem to be in rough shape.”

I felt my cheeks start to burn. “I’m fine, thank you,” I said and picked up the gun I threw down in my small fit of rage. “Don’t just get in the way of someone else’s target.”

“GENESIS!” My ghost was practically screaming as she finally caught up. “You reckless, pain in the–”

“I’m fine, Ghost,” I said, walking away from the other Guardian. “Let’s just get back to the Vault.” I was brushing the dirt off my gun when the classic Vex spawn cloud appear in front of me, and a high value target, a giant Minotaur, appeared in front of me. Without hesitation I unloaded my magazine into it’s eye and jumped back when it staggered. However, a rocket whizzed past me, right into the Minotaur. I looked back at the stranger Guardian with me, and saw he was smiling back at me as he pulled out an auto rifle, and nodded his head toward the Minotaur. I couldn’t help but grin back.

Together, bullets flying, we fought. I tossed a grenade at its leg and when it exploded, he shotgunned it in the face. Unfortunately, this accidentally blew up it’s head and it went ballistic. “ _Merde_!” I shouted when it started to charge my way, shooting rapidly, then it backhanded me before I had the chance to even reload my gun or jump away. The air was knocked out of my lungs as I fell back, winded and gasping for air through the pain in my gut. I clutched my gun as I got up to one knee, when the soothing aura of a Ward of Dawn surrounded the two of us. Before I even had a chance to raise my gun, he ran out of the bubble and launched another rocket at the high value target, then it finally fell to the ground, defeated.

He came back over to me, helping me stand. “You alright, Guardian?”

I nodded. I had finally caught my breath. “Yes,” I said. “ _Merci, mon ami_.” 

The Exo pulled off his helmet and there was a joyful glow in his bright red eyes. “You know, rookie, you aren’t a bad shot. You’ll get up there in the ranks in no time. It just, ya know, takes time.”

I laughed and my shoulders sunk a bit. “Well… maybe. I dunno.”

He slapped me on the back as the Ward around us disappeared. “See you around the Tower, rookie.”

I smiled to myself as he started to walk away. I tapped the barrel of my hand cannon against the palm of my hand and turned as he started off, his Ghost hovering over his shoulder. “It’s Genesis,” I said.

“Huh?”

“Genesis. My name.” He just stared at me, seeming so nonchalant. It was almost upsetting. 

“And? Rookie?” The amusement in his voice was loud and clear.

I felt my cheeks burning and I clenched my fists. “And what’s yours?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Maverick-7,” he said. 

“Maverick… Alright, Maverick. Don’t give me a reason to shoot you in the shoulder again.”

He laughed loudly. “We’ll see who’s shooting who.” He waved at me from over his shoulder as he walked away. 

I waved back at him, more like I waved at his back. My Ghost appeared in front of me, her blue eye staring at me. 

“You look like a love struck school girl,” she teased.

“I do not!” I shouted at her, and shot a Goblin as it appeared 20 feet away. “Just— ugh!!” I threw up my hands and turned, walking back towards the Vault. I heard her laugh quietly from behind me.

I knew she was right.

*You need to pay more attention to your environment! I was engaging!


	2. After the Fire

About a year went by and I hardly ever saw Maverick-7. Occasionally we ran into each other while running strikes for the Vanguard, but I never really saw him in the Tower. Until today, that was. I was in the small club in the Tower Hanger, sitting at the counter of the bar, sipping on a drink. My silver hair had grown down to my shoulders and I was finally one of the more senior and experienced members of my class. I was dressed casually (Zavala pretty much ordered me to take some time off, no missions or patrols), in a sweater and sweatpants, and barefoot. 

But I was depressed and troubled. I lost both of my fireteam members on Phobos, everything had been going in a blur since. We got separated, and I don’t know if they made it out because my Ghost brought me onto my ship and flew us back to the Tower. I had to beg Zavala to let me go on a rescue mission, but he constantly refused. For once, I wished I was just human again so I could get drunk and suffer with a hangover, so I could forget about my fireteam for a bit. For some reason, Guardians can’t get drunk. Some think it’s because of our connection to the Light.

So here I was, on drink number five, my body swimming in alcohol, but not mentally drunk. When I finished my glass, I felt anger bubbling in me, and I threw the glass at the wall. It shattered into tiny pieces, and a sweeper bot almost immediately started to sweep up the pieces. The bartender stared at me with a look of both confusion or concern.

“Another,” I said. A few moments later another glass appeared in front of me.

“You look like you need some company.” 

I jumped and nearly spilled my drink. _“Merde!”_ I shouted.

Maverick-7 sat down at the bar beside me. He wasn’t wearing any armor, just a t-shirt and sweats. I just stared at him.

“You know,” I said bitterly. “When you said ‘See you around the Tower’, I really didn’t imagine it would be when I’m on drink six, swimming in alcohol, and yet sober as all fuck.”

He held up his hands and chuckled. “Wow, I seem to have come at a bad time.”

“Sorry,” I sighed and shook my head. “It’s just…”

“Rough day?”

“Worse than rough.”

He paused for a moment and ordered a drink for himself. “I’ve heard your name floating around the Tower,” he said. “You really have made a name for yourself. Even Shaxx seems to like you, and I don’t think I’ve ever run into you in the Crucible.”

I swirled my drink in it’s glass and took a sip. “Is that all you’ve heard?” I knew most Guardians had heard about my fireteam. I heard the rumors, too. Anyone who hadn’t yet gone to Phobos were turning down their missions. Taken had started popping up all over the system.

He took time before answering. “I… I didn’t think you wanted to talk about them.”

My throat started to tighten up. They were my two best friends and partners. Adam and Gilly, an awoken Warlock and a human Titan. They were as close as I could get to family.

“I couldn’t find them.” I whispered. “I left them there. My Ghost pulled me into the ship before I could run back and try to find them.” I clutched tighter onto my glass. “They told me to keep running. We were a team! Teams are supposed to stay together.” I took a long drink and then put the empty glass down on the table, perhaps harder than I should have. “And what’s even worse is that Zavala won’t let me go back to find them.”

Maverick tapped the rim of his glass. “We could go find them.”

“What?”

“You and I. We could team up and find them. Zavala would probably suspend both of us, but who cares? If there’s any chance your fireteam is alive, someone should try to find them.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Zavala put Phobos off limits to all Guardians. If our locations put us anywhere near it, our Ghosts are supposed to override our jump ships and send us back.” He stared at me suspiciously. “I’ve already tried going back.”

I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer though. Besides,” I stood and patted him on the shoulder. “I don’t think your fireteam would approve. They need you more than I do.”

I started to walk away, when his harsh voice cut through the club. “Bullshit!” He pulled on my arm and turned me around. Angry, I pulled my arm back and punched his jaw. He stumbled back against the counter and I shook my hand out. Honestly, I’ve never punched an Exo before, and I didn’t realize until now what straight up punching a metal with bare hands hurt so much. My knuckles were bleeding as I stumbled and struggled to keep my balance. Even if I was sober, my body certainly was feeling the effect of the alcohol. Everything was spinning.

“No! It’s not bullshit! Maverick, I had the mission to Phobos, with two other fireteams. I saw what happened there. Everyone else died! My fireteam is dead!” Hot tears were burning in my eyes and I could see the shock in his expression as he stared at me, rubbing his jaw. “I don’t need your pity. I need to find whatever the fuck started this war and end them. For my fireteam. For my family.”

I didn’t even realize I had started stumbling until Maverick was holding me up by my elbows. He sighed and helped me walk out of the bar. “You are right,” he said. “But from my experience, giving up on something doesn't help.”


	3. Maverick

I don’t remember passing out, but I remember stumbling up the stairs and struggling when the Exo picked me up. I woke up in the Last City. Sunlight filtered through partly open blinds directly onto my face. Instinctively, I pulled the sheets over my head and rolled over, when it hit me that this bed didn’t feel like mine. It was stiff from lack of use and the blankets smelled… off. Maybe musty? I brushed it off and tried to fall back asleep.

“Genesis? Eyes up, Guardian.”

I opened my eyes and squinted at my Ghost as she hovered over me. I rubbed my eyes and pushed a hand through my hair. “Ugh… what time is it?”

“About six in the morning, sunshine.”

I bolted upright at the sound of Maverick’s voice and nearly force palmed in his direction, but I restrained myself. Only a small spark of solar energy appeared in my palm. Maverick chuckled and held up his hands in defense. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to you. You passed out and you didn’t tell me where your apartment was, so I just brought you here.”

I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself, then tried to rub the exhaustion from my eyes. 

“Coffee?” He asked.

“Yes, please. Just black is okay.”

Maverick nodded and walked out of the bedroom. I lifted myself out of the bed and stretched, then ran my fingers through my messed up hair. Maverick’s bedroom was filled with models of old cars from before the Golden Age, most were completed and a couple looked like he was in the process of building them. Every Guardian did something in their spare time. I painted, using pigments from flowers and other plants, mixed with oil. The walls of my apartment were painted with murals of the places I have visited, mostly from the French district of the EDZ. Not many guardians visited it and the Hive had started to inhabit the underground waterways. But it was the only place on Earth that I had started to feel at home. 

By the window, there were pictures framed of Maverick with five other guardians, huddled in the tower in front of the camera. He was with two other titans, two hunters, and a warlock. They were all smiling. I picked up the photo and ran my fingers around the antique wood frame.

“Here you go, Genesis,” Maverick said as he walked beside me, two cups of coffee in his hands.

“Oh, thank you,” I said as I placed down the photo and took the cup from him. “Maverick… is that your fireteam?” 

He picked up the photo himself and gazed at it, an almost sad look in his glowing red eyes. “Yeah… there’s Paradox, Enigma, Shadow, Skinner, and Vision.” He pointed at each one of them as he listed off their names. “We all had nicknames that we gave each other. I was just Mav. Skinner always came up with other names for me, usually relating to me being an Exo since I was the only one on our team... MetalMan, Mister Roboto…”

I smiled softly at him. “You look like a family.” 

“Yeah… we were.” He put the photo down and stared out the window. There was a far off look in his eyes and he swirled his coffee. 

“What happened to them?” I asked quietly.

“We went on a raid mission to defeat Crota, the son of Oryx… We failed horribly. Enigma and Paradox were surrounded and slaughtered by Knights and when their Ghosts came out to revive them the Knights just smashed them with their cleavers. And Shadow…” Maverick gave a heavy sigh before continuing, “Shadow had his light ripped out by a Wizard, and Vision had his eyes clawed out by Thrall, and before his ghost could finish repairing them, his ghost was snatched up by Thrall and taken.. You know, all this time the Vanguard made it seem like we’re immortal. But that’s not true I didn’t know Guardians could die until I watched more than half of my team fall to the Hive.”

I didn’t know what to say. I placed my hand on his arm, but gazed out the window.

“Everything dies. Even Guardians. I think we all want to believe we are invincible, but it’s not true. Our Light is all that keeps us alive. Take that away, and all we are, are ordinary people.” He looked at me, obviously not amused. “I know it’s probably not what you want to hear, but It’s something I’ve started to face. We can’t change the past. All we can do is press forward.”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything more. We stood together in silence, looking over the city below us. It started to come alive as people started to fill the streets and the market.

“Their deaths hit hard,” he said. “Skinner and I barely made it out alive. I had scheduled another reboot, mostly on Zavala’s orders. I didn’t go, and I paid off the doc that was supposed to do my reboot to keep quiet about it.

“What? Why?” 

“As much as it hurt to lose them, I didn’t want to forget them. I didn’t want to risk it.” 

“They were that important to you, huh.”

“They made me feel human again.”

“Meaning?”

“There’s something about being an Exo that doesn’t feel real. Like I’m a shell of who I must have been before I died. Every person I told about it said they were shocked I’m still functioning, because human minds don’t always adjust to being in an Exo body. It’s foreign and hard to explain. But I miss my body. There’s only so much you can do to make metal feel more than a husk of who you were. Surrounding myself with friends made me feel like a normal, human person again.”

“I’m so sorry you lost them.”

“Eh, like you said, the past is the past. But if you’re ever talking to the Vanguard, it’s Maverick-8, not 7.

I smiled at him. “Your secret is safe with me.”

I finished off my coffee and started to collect myself. I started to say farewell to Maverick, but he grabbed my wrist before I could walk out the door. “Hey, if you’re still on probation with the Vanguard, you think you could get away with disappearing for a while?”

I turned to him and tilted my head curiously. “Oh? And what did you have in mind?” 

He grinned. “I’ll show you. You, by chance, haven’t visited the Last City, lately, have you?”

I shook my head. “No. I didn’t get promoted until about a week ago, so I haven’t really been in the city.”

“Good. You go and get changed. I’ll meet you at the postmaster tonight for about seven.”


	4. Skinner

“I don’t know, Dawn, maybe I’m insane, but how can I say no?” I was pacing around my room and running a towel over my head to dry my hair, trying to make sense of what I agreed to do. “I mean, I totally could have said no, but it’s too late to go back now, right?” I sat down at my easel and stared at the painting of the City’s skyline that I started working on a few nights past. Dark buildings looked stark against a rosy and golden sunrise that glowed underneath the protective shadow of the Traveller. Was I being crazy? We’re Guardians. It’s not like this was happening before the Collapse, where life could have been normal. There was nothing normal about this. I wasn’t a normal human anymore. He wasn’t even human! And the fluttering I felt in my stomach confused me even more.

“You could always stand him up,” Dawn chipped sarcastically. “But that would probably make him hate you.” 

I leaned back and pressed my hands against my eyes. “Not. Helping.”

I didn’t want to make Maverick hate me. He was the only other Guardian that I knew that lost their fireteam. And he was a genuinely nice person. How could I do that to him? All he seemed to want to do was give me a distraction, to get my mind off of the terrible weight that pressed on my shoulders and spine.

“Look, Guardian…” Ghost hovered in front of me and moved my hands off of my face. “You will be fine. And besides, I don’t think I could stand seeing you hang out in the Tower club for another day. It would be good for you to meet other Guardians.”

I glared at my Ghost. “I know you’re right. But you sound like someone’s mom. My mom.”

She chirped. “Well, someone has to take care of your irresponsible ass.”

“Oh, thanks, that means a lot.” 

I stood and searched through my closet for some casual clothes that weren’t paint stained. There wasn’t much that was left totally clean, and I didn’t own much of anything that was decent for public wear. All clothes that weren’t armor were old sweatshirts and leggings, with the exception of a few articles. A baby blue long sleeved shirt, a black cropped long sleeve sweater, a few t-shirts, a couple pairs of leggings, a pair of black ripped jeans, and a jean jacket with patches of music long forgotten stitched all over that I found in the EDZ.

I settled on the baby blue shirt, the torn jeans, and combat boots. 

“Well?” I turned to my Ghost. “How do I look?”

“It’s not like you’re going on a date.”

I shook my head and grabbed the jean jacket, and headed for the elevator up to the main plaza of the Tower. My Ghost chased after me, then disappeared into her imaginary backpack. While in the elevator, I put my hair up into some double buns, struggling to keep some of the shorter hairs in the back and in the front up. I caught my reflection in the windows, and I honestly was just relieved that I still looked relatively refreshed. When the elevator dinged, I pulled on the jacket and jogged over to the Postmaster. 

Maverick wasn’t anywhere to be seen, so I busied myself by picking up my mail. A couple of engrams, the official mission report from the Phobos debriefing that I wasn’t going to open, and the letter informing me where my new apartment in the City was going to be. I was lost reading up on the location and trying to map out where it was, when I felt the weight of an arm rest around my shoulders. I jumped and looked at the stranger, a Hunter, who grinned at me. Mischief was written clear in his expression and his eyes were alight with it. Short but wild black hair framed his face. 

“Hey there, gorgeous,” he said. “Where are you going? Looking so fine like that.”

I was about ready to shove him away and when Maverick appeared out of nowhere and pushed him off of me.

“Tone it down, Skinner,” the Exo warned. “This one tends to punch people.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, tucking my letters away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Skinner laughed. “If she hits, then why is she a Warlock?”

Maverick just shook his head. “Genesis, this is Skinner, the last of my fireteam. He’s a total ass, so don’t mind him much.”

“AWWW!!” Skinner threw his arms around Maverick, and I watched the Titan try to push him away. “MAVVVVV!! That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me!” 

I forced myself to keep my mouth shut and bit on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Maverick looked uncomfortable and embarrassed, and it was probably the most adorable expression I had ever seen on an Exo’s face. He finally shoved off Skinner, who laughed maniacally, as Hunters so often do. “Did you tell her where we were taking her?” Skinner asked.

“Um…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “‘Where we were taking her’?”

“Ah, right,” Maverick uttered, “that little detail. C’mon, I’ll show you.”

We hopped onto the elevator and went all the way down to the ground level, to the Last City. The afternoon sun made the windows of the skyscrapers shimmer and cast the entire city in a warm, golden glow. The air was starting to chill as nighttime was approaching, though still a few hours away. The City was alive with people who filled the streets, leaving their simple jobs, heading home to their families, or younger adults and teens hanging out on the streets, trying to postpone their return home. 

Skinner led the way, going on and on about drinking and parties that happened in the City’s nightlife. To be honest, I wasn’t really listening to him. Maverick walked quietly beside me, his hands shoved in the pockets of his black sweatshirt. It was breezy down here in the City, so I decided to pull my jacket on instead of just carrying it as I had been. We turned from the busy streets and bazaar to quieter alleyways with street vendors and booths. The younger generations of the City’s people were seen more on these streets, and a lot of them seemed to pick out Skinner and Maverick quite easily as Guardians. Me, not so much. Ikora always said that I was quiet, even for a Warlock, but my deeds showed more of me than my words. It’s what got me the respect of my fellow Guardians, at least, that’s how it was before I lost my fireteam. Now, all I ever got was sympathy and sideways looks. 

We followed Skinner down some stairs. “Maverick,” I asked quietly. “Can you tell me where we are going?”

“You’ll see,” he said and a low chuckle rumbled in his chest. 

And that I did. We finally came to a building in a darker, much more deserted part of town. Skinner stopped in front of the door and turned, his hands raised in the air. “Fresh res!” He exclaimed, then made a giant sweeping motion to the door. “Welcome, to what it really means to be a Guardian.”

I stared at him skeptically, when Maverick gently pushed on my back, nudging me forward. I hesitated in front of the door, and against my gut feeling that was telling me to run the _fuck_ away, I pushed it open.


	5. Lights Out

I walked down a set of stairs that were just behind the heavy door. The further I went down, however, I could feel the pulsing of some very intense bass. The lights were dim and it was almost difficult to see, and a growing sense of nervousness and anxiety made me slow down. Skinner pressed past me on the stairs, unable to contain himself. I met him at the bottom, in front of another door, and Maverick was right behind me. I glanced at between both of them. The Hunter blocked the way forward, and the stocky titan blocked my way back. 

Skinner placed his hand on the handle of the door, and said in a loud voice, “Fresh res, welcome, to a real fucking party!”

He threw open the door and we were met with heavy bass and loud music. My stomach dropped and I tried to turn around and run, but Maverick and Skinner both grabbed my arms and pulled me inside. I tried to pull my arms away and even tried to dig my feet into the ground, but to no avail. Both of their grips were like iron, and both of them were laughing as they dragged me over to the bar.

“Uh, uh, uh,” Skinner tsked at me. “This is your right of passage, right here.”

“What do you mean, my right of passage?” I shouted over the loud music. 

Maverick continued to laugh at my protests. “Oh come on, I took a bullet to the shoulder, I think you can handle one night at the club.”

“The bartender is a normal dude who figured out how to make a brew that _actually_ gets Guardians drunk.” Skinner said eagerly as he let go of my arm. Maverick dragged me the rest of the way over to the bar and the Exo effortlessly picked me up from under my arms and sat me on the stool.

“I can sit, you know,” I protested, pushing them off of me. The bartender approached and recognized the Hunter and the Titan, then glanced at me. “Let me guess. Newbie needs to get drunk,” He said to Skinner.

“Yup! Three ‘Lights Out’ shots please.” 

“You got it, friend. Coming right up.”

A minute or so later, he came back and placed down three drinks that were an ominous looking dark purple, or black. I picked mine up nervously and looked at the two Guardians with me, who picked up theirs.

“Down the hatch, boys,” Skinner said. We all cheered, but only I hesitated for a moment before downing the shot in one go. It tasted disgustingly sour, but at the same time, incredibly sweet, like cotton candy. My face twisted as I swallowed and I coughed once I finally pushed it down. It burned your throat as it went down, but once it was down it filled my entire body with a warm and pleasant tingling sensation. I put the glass back down and wanted to get up and leave now. The loud music and abundance of noise was starting to overwhelm my senses. But where I was sandwiched between the two men, I wasn’t going anywhere. 

Skinner and Maverick cheered me on. After the third round of shots, I’m pretty sure I was drunk off of my ass. The two men with me were only buzzed. We were talking and laughing, telling stories of our adventures. For the first time in such a long time, I felt normal. Alive, even. I didn’t have the weight of my grief hanging over my shoulder. Maverick had his hand on my back 85 percent of the time to keep me from falling over, however.

At some point, Skinner walked off to go party, leaving the two of us alone. Maverick was in the middle of telling me a story about his fireteam, I think, but I had so much trouble focusing on exactly what he was saying. 

“What about you?” He asked, snapping me out of my trance. “What’s your story?”

“Huh?”

He laughed at me and slammed a fist down on the counter. “Skinner was right, this is pretty funny, watching you get that knot between your eyes when you get confused. I’m asking you if you remember anything from your life before you were resurrected, Rookie.”

I stuck my tongue out at him for teasing me, but ended up laughing along with him. “Well…” I pulled the dog tags from around my neck. I hadn’t taken them off since I was resurrected. As much as our Ghosts told us to forget about the past, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life I led before.

“Ghost found me wearing these. I think I was in the French Militia or military or something, but I don’t know what for. A couple months ago, my fireteam and I went digging through some old office buildings in the French district of the EDZ. We didn’t find jack squat. But sometimes, I dream, and I think they’re supposed to be my memories, but they feel out of place, you know? Like you’re walking through someone else’s shoes. I get flashes of staring down a scope, of another woman with me, sitting for hours. And then I see other smaller things. Like what the French countryside looked like before the collapse. Or the ocean. I keep getting images of the same home. I dunno.”

“What, you said you remember staring down a scope?” Maverick asked, handing my broken tags back to me.

“Yeah. I wonder if I was in the military or the militia, as a sniper maybe. Or recon. I dunno. Everything is blurry. Especially now.” I started giggling as I pulled the tags back on, then rested my head in my hands. My heart felt lighter. “Oh!!” I exclaimed and my head shot up, maybe a little too fast. Maverick had to grab my arm to keep my from falling backwards off the chair. “I think I had a cat too! I keep remembering this little orange tabby sitting with me in that house!”

Maverick laughed as he steadied me in my seat. “Okay, I’m never letting Skinner take you drinking unsupervised. You are such a lightweight.”

I shoved his chest, though the Titan barely moved. “Shut up, I am not!”

He just kept laughing.

I don’t know how long we were in that club, but at some point Skinner dragged me out of my seat when a small dance competition had started on the floor between Guardians. And _ho-ly_ , did I dance. I had no idea that I could, or that I was even that flexible, but maybe that was because the alcohol made me bolder, and I had just finished another shot. I kept looking back at Maverick, who stayed the most sober out of the three of us. I kept motioning for him to join us, but he only shook his head or avoided eye contact. Oh well, his loss. At some point after the dancing had started, he coaxed me off of the floor and told Skinner he was going to take me home. 

“Awww, why?” Skinner and I both whined as Maverick wrapped an arm around me. 

“Because you can’t see it, Genesis, but you can barely stand up straight.”

“Pfft, whatever,” Skinner said as he backed off. “I’ll see you around, Maverick, you behave yourself.”

Maverick rolled his eyes, waved goodbye to his Fireteam member, and led me out of the club. 

The two of us walked through the City, which had grown quiet and hushed. For the first time all night, it was peacefully, blissfully quiet. It was around two in the morning. I looked up at Maverick, who was just as quiet as usual, but there was a small smile on his face that I read in his eyes. I couldn’t contain my drunken giggles as I clung to his arm while we walked.

“You look happy,” I said as I started to stumble. 

“And you look like a drunken mess.” He scooped me up and I squealed in surprise, then proceeded to kick my legs in opposition. 

“Put me down!” I protested.

“Hold on.”

“Huh? What for?” Before I could even get out another question, he jumped and started strafing. I cried out in surprise and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. He was jumping from wall to wall, from balcony to balcony, hoisting us up over ledges effortlessly as he climbed the buildings of the Last City. I squeezed my eyes shut, but soon, he stopped jumping, and he put my feet on the ground. I didn’t let him go, however, and he started to protest and pry my arms from around his neck. 

“Relax, relax,” he said as calmly as possible. “You’re okay, you can open your eyes now, crazy.” 

Tension slowly released from my muscles as I released my hands from behind his neck, and I opened my eyes. 

We were on the top of a skyscraper, and had a view of all of the lights in the Last City. I gasped softly and finally let him go, then covered my mouth with my hands. “Oh, Maker,” I said aloud. The view was amazing. And the stars! They lit up the sky like lights strung on a Dawning holiday tree. I had never seen the stars so crystal clear before. The adrenaline that had been flowing through my veins finally started to decline, and also my sobriety was returning. I walked up to the edge of the rooftop and leaned my arms on the barriers around the roof that came up to my waist. The air was cool and refreshing. Below us, street lights twinkled amber like fireflies. And above, the Traveller hovered, sleeping and quiet, outlined by stars. This had to be one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen.

Maverick walked up to the spot beside me. “I wanted to let you see this view. At least, before you moved to your new place. An old friend of mine, Vision… He took me up here after our first party together.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered softly. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He smiled, and silence fell between us. He was so close I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Exos were always depicted as cold and heartless, incapable of feeling emotions or empathy. At least, that’s the way a lot of people looked at them. They were machines. But here we were, and I could feel the warmth from the energy that ran through his body. The wind ruffled our clothes and pulled at the hairs that had fallen loose from my double buns, and framed my face. I looked up at Maverick, studying the structure of his face while he looked out over the Last City. 

“I know losing your family was hard,” he said quietly. “But there are still others who need you. I was talking with Skinner, and he agreed. If you are willing, we want to make you our third fireteam member.”

I stared at him in disbelief. I will admit, I did not see this coming from him tonight. “I’m sorry, what?”

I looked over at him, his glowing red eyes showing no sign of a joke. He was serious. “You’re skilled and talented. The Vanguard can’t keep you on probation forever. You’re going to need a team. And… and we need to fill ours again.”

“Maverick,” I said, closing my eyes, trying to process this. There was still some alcohol in my system, clouding my judgement. “Can… can we maybe talk about this when I’m not still swimming in alcohol? Please?”

His brows raised, but then he smiled and chuckled. “Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re still a little woozy up there, aren’t you?” He tapped my forehead with his knuckle. I couldn’t help but giggle in response.

“Yeah, just a wee bit.”

He shook his head at me, but smiled. “It’s all up to you, Genesis. Take your time.”

I nodded, then silence fell between us again. After a couple of minutes, my drunk ass decided it would be a bright idea to hoist myself up on the wall. I lifted myself up easily enough, but when I sat down, I swayed and nearly fell backwards off of the building. 

“Hey, hey!” Maverick shouted and he moved directly in front of me, catching my arms and pulled me back forward. “Maker, Genesis, are you fucking crazy?”

I laughed aloud and held onto his biceps for balance. “Only a little bit. Maybe a little bit more. Who knows.” I smiled and met his gaze, and I thought for a moment he looked worried. But soon enough, he sighed and shook his head.

“Crazy…” He murmured softly, and he kept his hands planted firmly on my hips in case I fell again, since I was still swaying a bit. 

My heart started pounding from his closeness, and I started to breathe a tad bit heavier. My cheeks started to flush pink. I averted my gaze from his to hide it, but he must have already noticed. 

“Hey, are you feeling okay?” He asked quietly. “Maybe we should head back to your apartment…”

“No!” I said, maybe a little too quickly. “I mean, I’m fine, it’s just…” I trailed off. I reached up and ran my fingers over his cheekbones, and followed the structure of his face along his jaw. I met his gaze, and his expression was filled with a mix of confusion, tranquility, and fear. He was afraid, and honestly, I was too. But when I was with Maverick, I felt the most normal and alive I’ve ever felt since my resurrection. As if he was still hesitating, he slowly leaned his face into my hands and closed his eyes. 

“Maverick…” I whispered softly, my thumbs running along his metal cheeks. “Do you trust me?” Deep in the back of my consciousness, I could hear my Ghost start yelling at me, warning me to not go where I was going, but the alcohol had dulled out her voice.

It took him a moment of contemplation and he looked a bit suspicious, but soon enough he nodded. 

“Good.”

I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck and pulled him closer, and pressed my lips against his mouthpiece. At first, his body stiffened and he didn’t know what to do, so I pulled away after a few seconds. But before I could even apologize, he shook his head, as if giving in to an internal battle, placed a hand on the back of my head, and pulled me back in. He was ready this time, and he kissed me without holding back. There was a strange warmth coming from him, and his mouth was warm against mine. My heart was pounding and my brain could barely keep up. His hand on my hip wrapped around me and dragged me closer, I held on to him tighter.

When we finally separated, I met his gaze. We were both breathing heavy, we both had a desperate yet relaxed look in our eyes, and I think we were both still processing what had just occurred. My Ghost was still lecturing, going on and on about Vanguard rules and this wouldn’t work out, that we were setting ourselves up for failure, but I ignored her. 

“Is yours yelling at you, too?” I said softly with a small giggle. 

“Without a doubt,” he said with a small laugh. 

Silence fell between us and I simply buried my face in his neck and shoulder, unable to stop my smile. He gently pressed his lips on my head and kissed my hair. We stayed like that until the sun started to rise on the Last City, and I had fallen asleep.


	6. Infatuation

I woke up in my own apartment this time, and the afternoon sun shone brightly through my windows. I stared at my ceiling, studying the mural I had finished a month ago. Sunlight made the amber and gold colors on my ceiling burn with brilliance. It hurt my eyes, so I rolled over and closed them.

My head was pounding. The entire night was a blur. “Dawn…?” I called out. “Dawn?” 

My Ghost appeared in front of me as I forced myself up and slid my feet out from under the blankets and onto the floor. “Finally, you’re awake. I need you to–”

“Dawn, not now,” I said, holding my head in one hand. “Just… can you start the coffee?” I dragged myself out of bed, realized at some point I had changed and I was now wearing a very loose shirt and some shorts. I grabbed my robe off the back of my desk chair and pulled it on.

“I already did, but you need to understand–.”

“Ghost,” I said firmly as I walked into the kitchen. “Not. Now.”

“He’s on the couch.”

“What?” I nearly shouted. I put down the mug I had pulled out of the cabinet and walked into the living room, and sure enough, Maverick was laying down on my couch, his head propped up on some pillows, and his eyes were closed as if he were sleeping. I stood frozen in front of him, in complete disbelief. I slowly backed out of the living room and back into the kitchen.

“Ghost, what happened last night?” I said quietly, trying to contain my confusion and the sudden wave of embarrassment that flooded me. 

“Well,” she started like she didn’t know where to start. “Those two took you out and got you drunk, you and Maverick left, and ended up kissing.”

“I did WHAT?!” My voice cracked and I was shouting at this point, completely disregarding that there was another Guardian in the other room. I ran my hands through my hair, paused for a bit, then finally poured my cup of coffee and took a long drink. Sure, I knew I had some sort of feelings for Maverick, but I had no idea he really felt that way about me. 

“You made out with a senior guardian,” she teased. “A lot, too.”

“Oh shut up!” I snapped and held my head in my hands. 

Maverick’s Ghost appeared in my kitchen and hovered in front of my face. “You know, if it makes you feel any better, he doesn’t regret any of it. But he understands you were a little bit drunk.”

“If it makes you feel better, I left you alone once you pulled me in here and went to your room to change and pass out. You seem to have a much more… rebellious side of you once you’re under the influence.”

I jumped up at the sound of Maverick’s voice and my cheeks flushed red. But the sudden jerking movement of my body didn’t help my migraine and I had to immediately put my head back down on the kitchen table. I felt embarrassed and exposed and pulled my robe tighter around my torso. I rolled my head on the table and gazed over at him.

“Maverick…” I started. He grabbed himself a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Maverick, I’m sorry.” 

“What for?” He asked as he leaned against the counter and sipped his coffee? “For letting yourself relax and be, well, comfortable?”

“No,” I said softly. “For honestly not remembering any of it. I remember pieces, but the entire night is a blur. What… What did happen?”

He chuckled and sat down in the seat across from me. “I think it would be better to just let you forget about it. For now at least.” 

I leaned my head in my palm. This felt so incredibly awkward. I have no idea why he decided to stay here, when he could have easily gone back home after I passed out. After a minute or two of agonizing silence, I finally poured myself a cup of coffee, took a long drink and stood, carrying the cup with me to the window. The sun was setting. The painted walls of my apartment seemed to glow and come alive in the light of the golden hour. I could hear Maverick get up and leaned against the door frame between the living room and kitchen. 

“They’re… impressive,” he said. I could only assume he was talking about the extensive murals that covered every blank space of my walls. 

“Thank you,” I mumbled. Honestly, I didn’t take compliments very well. “They help me pass the time. Get through sleepless nights.”

“I think the longest she went without sleeping and just painting was after…” My Ghost had piped in, but I finished it for her.

“Phobos.” I turned around and placed my cup down. “I painted that.” I pointed to the wall to his right, where I had painted my two friends, my old fireteam. It was just a still of them from my point of view, passing a canteen between them, when we were on Mars. 

“I couldn’t get their faces out of my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, I could hear their voices, see their faces. I… I could hear Adam,” I pointed to the Warlock in the painting, “shouting at me to go, that they were right behind me.” I walked up to the wall and stood next to Maverick. “Then all I hear is Gilly yelling at me to get on my ship and leave, to warn the Vanguard of what happened out there. That they would cover me. The more time that goes by, the more I start to piece things together. I think Gilly knew that we all couldn’t get out from the moment we saw Oryx, or the shadow of him at least. I think he wanted to get both of us out, but Adam turned around for him before I could.” 

Maverick was silent and I could feel the weight of his gaze on me. 

“I’m starting to remember what happened on Phobos again and the nightmares are coming back.” 

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

I shook my head and smiled solemnly. My melancholy had begun to permeate into my personality, dulling my normally vibrant glow. I was always tired. I would do anything for closure, to know that they were either dead or alive. Not knowing was even worse. 

It also didn’t help that my memory was clearing and I was starting to remember what happened. The partying, the drinking, the kisses we had shared. I was embarrassed, but at the same time, I had no regrets. It was the only time that I had felt happy since they disappeared.

“Maverick, about last night…”

“What about it?” He said quietly. 

“Do you regret any of it? Would you go back and change anything?”

He paused for a moment. “Honestly? I wouldn’t have let you drink so much.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why? I think I had a good time. It was nice to feel normal again.”

He shifted his weight and didn’t respond right away. “I don’t know,” he said. “Hangovers with that drink kinda suck.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “But… I think you know where I was going.” I had been trying to see if there were any regretful feelings about what happened between us. 

“I do.” He responded quickly. “It’s just… y’know. I’m an Exo, you’re totally human. It’s complicated.”

“So?” I placed my mug down then stood in front of him, putting myself in his vision. “Maverick-7, it matters not to me. I just… I don’t want you to have any ill feelings, and I understand if you do, there’s a lot going on for both of us and we have other things to worry about. You know? I don’t regret it. At all. But if you, I understand.”

Before I could keep rambling, I felt his index finger and thumb gently take hold of my chin and tilt my face up. I felt a blush rush to my cheeks and my face warmed. I pulled my robe close around me again, but I didn’t break from his gaze.

“You’re kinda cute when you try to justify this, but allow–”

My Ghost appeared between us, her gaze on him. “Don’t even think about it,” she said firmly. I rolled my eyes and reached up, took hold of my Ghost, and moved her out of the way. Maverick’s eyes watched my Ghost and then focused his gaze back on me. 

“I think she’s going to have to accept this,” he said quietly, but there was happiness in his voice.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I’ll give her a chat later.”

“Good.”

Before I could respond and tell him he should probably get going before it gets dark, he leaned down and kissed me, stealing the words out of my mouth. My breath hitched in my throat and I placed a hand on his shoulder. One of his hands placed on the small of my back and pulled me close against him. Something about kissing an Exo was strange. They technically didn’t have lips, but I felt a strange sense of warmth and electricity when his mouth touched mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his other hand pushed through my hair. 

I started to get a feeling of desperation behind his kiss. He held me tighter and started to grip gently onto my hair. When we finally separated, I felt breathless, and I placed a hand on his chest. “Are… Are you okay?” I asked softly.

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. I… I should probably go…” 

I wanted to hold onto him tighter and convince him to stay, but I knew it was for the best. He let me go slowly, then smiled and ruffled a hand through my hair. He must have seen the look of sadness on my face. “Don’t worry, rookie,” he said, almost like a tease, “I won’t be gone for long. Don’t miss me too much.” 

“Okay, okay!” I laughed and pushed him away playfully. “Take care, okay?” 

Once he was gone, I lounged on my couch for a while, my Ghost lecturing me the whole time.

“Dawn,” I said, cutting her off. “Don’t worry. You know me. I’m careful.”

“Um, no, you’re not.” She said sternly. 

I chuckled softly and stood, picking up my paint brushes and paints. “Fair enough.”


	7. Missing Exo

I didn’t hear from Maverick at all the next day. It was good, I suppose. Everything about our relationship was new and awkward. A little bit of distance definitely helped me clear my head, especially since my reevaluation with the Vanguard was tomorrow. I spent a lot of my day in meditation and painting, but most of the time I didn’t leave my room. I had to pass this reevaluation to be able to move into the Last City. It was the Vanguard’s way of testing that I was mentally stable enough to be able to live around ordinary citizens and protect the City, if called upon. And make sure I was stable enough to go back to completing missions after what happened on Phobos. They’re crucial for the Vanguard to evaluate “unstable” Guardians. 

I sat at my easel and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I had been sitting here for about an hour now, painting away. I had started painting Maverick. In the few hours of sleep I got, my mind flickered between torment of watching my fireteam disappear to the view of Maverick on the roof. Or in my kitchen. I pushed my Ghost away whenever she started to peer over my shoulder. I painted the freshest image of him in my memory, and it was him leaning against my kitchen door frame, coffee mug in hand, his Ghost hovering over his shoulder. 

There was suddenly a knock on my door. I covered the canvas with a sheet in case it was Maverick.

“Just a minute!” I shouted as I placed my palette on the coffee table. I hurried over to the door, but I wasn’t expecting to see a Hunter on the other side. “Oh! Skinner, I wasn’t expecting you.”

The man hurried into my apartment and I stood there, a little bit shocked that he just waltzed in. “Okay, I guess you’re coming in now.” I closed the door and followed him, where he was pacing in my living room. “Is everything okay?”

“No, no,” he shook his head and sat down in my armchair, his leg bouncing. “Something’s wrong. Have you seen Mav? Did he say anything to you?” 

My stomach knotted and I got a terrible sinking feeling. His parting words echoed and I repeated them to Skinner. “He… he said ‘don’t worry, rookie. I won’t be gone for long.’ Does that mean anything to you?”

“Fuck!” Skinner shouted. He threw his knife at the wall so forcefully that it embedded in the wood.

“Um, that’s my wall,” I sighed, rubbing the back of my head. “Skinner, can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I wish I could. Um… Maverick and I have a private channel. The entire fireteam used it, but it’s just us two now. Where’s your Ghost?”

I walked over to him and held out my hand, and Dawn appeared in my palm. Skinner pulled out his and they both went into communications mode. 

“The channel is encrypted, that way the Vanguard can’t eavesdrop. I just gave your Ghost the decryption.”

My Ghost was already picking up on it. She turned to me. “Genesis.” 

“It’s a distress signal,” Skinner said. “My Ghost can’t track where it’s coming from.”

“Probably because you never went there, and the Vanguard put an override on it,” my Ghost said.

My eyes widened and I stood up, went into my room and put on my armor, and grabbed my Monte Carlo, LDR, and Sol Edge Sword. Skinner was standing and staring at me when I walked out of my room.

“Phobos,” I said. “He went to Phobos. I told him about my Fireteam, and he told me he would be back soon. I should have seen this coming, I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.”

“He said he had to find something, but to keep the channel open, just in case. Do you really think he would go and look for your fireteam?”

“After our conversation?” I looked at Skinner as he pulled his knife out of my wall. “Without a doubt. C’mon, we’re going to Phobos.”


	8. Moon of Nightmares

I’m fairly certain I’m in trouble with the Vanguard now. I missed my evaluation, and once we exited the slip space by Mars, Skinner came over the private channel.

“Did you have something to do today?” He asked.

“Um… kind of. I was supposed to go in for my reevaluation today, to make sure I was ready to go back into the field,” I confessed. 

Skinner laughed as we started to disabled the Vanguard comms and had our Ghosts turn off our locations. “Well, you’re considered AWOL and any Guardian that finds you has to bring you to the Tower to be put on lock down. Good luck returning to the Tower after this.”

“Lovely,” I muttered. My grip on the controls tightened and my chest started to feel tight, like my lungs were too big for my ribs. I had a chance to save three close friends today, but that was only if I could find them all alive. Maker, I’m not the religious type, but I prayed to the Traveler that I would find them all alive.

“Genesis,” Dawn said, temporarily killing my link with Skinner. “Are you sure about this? Can you handle it? Your vitals are starting to rise.”

“Dawn,” I said sternly. “Don’t ask me again. Please. Maverick won’t be able to survive alone. I have to do this. And if there’s even a chance that Gilly and Adam are alive…” I looked over at her and my voice fell quiet. “I _have_ to do this.”

“You don’t _have_ to do anything!”

“Stop!” I was yelling at my Ghost now. “I can’t lose someone else on this moon. Now open the channel back up with Skinner.”

She fell silent and did as I asked. “Okay, Skinner. Stick close. We aren’t that far off.”

“Right. Falling into formation… now.”

Skinner’s jumpship fell into formation behind mine. Within a few minutes, Phobos was in sight. My entire body stiffened at the sight of it. It was worse than when I left.

“Whoaaa…” I heard Skinner whistle over the channel, and I realized he had never been to Phobos before. At least, he didn’t understand how bad the situation on Phobos was. “That’s… a lot of Taken.”

“Dawn, can you open up the channel from Maverick’s Ghost?”

“The distress signal is still going, is there a way we can open a channel to get through?”

“I can try, but the interference from the Taken is making it very spotty.”

“Hear that Skinner? Try reaching out to him. I’ll be in the channel.”

“Gotcha.” There was radio silence for a minute while his Ghost tried to establish a link. “Maverick? Maverick, are you there?” There was a response, but the interference turned it to static. I could almost feel Skinner’s frustration. “Mav, where are you?! I swear to fuck, Maverick, you son of a bitch, you need to get outta there, there are Taken everywhere.”

“ _[static]_ shit! _[static]_.” 

The channel kept breaking up. I tapped myself into the feed. “Maverick? Maverick, it’s Genesis! Where are you, what’s your position?”

“ _[static]_ Cabal _[static]_ shoot! I repe _[static]_ don’t shoot! _[static]_.”

“The feed’s choppy, too much interference,” I said over the feed, more towards Skinner. “Mav, stay where you are, we are coming down for an extraction.”

“Ghost, can you get a lock on the signal?” I asked.

“I’m scanning now, it’s hard. I think his Ghost disabled his location feed, but I’m getting several heat signatures from this quadrant.”

I looked up at the map and my heart sank. I recognized the quadrant. It was nearby where Gilly, Adam and I encountered the Echo of Oryx. “I was right, Skinner. He went looking for my Fireteam.” My Ghost linked up with his so that he could see the map. I highlighted a portion of it. “This is where we went in. The strongest heat signatures are right here,” I highlighted another portion for him, “about a half a kilometre inside. I think I know how to get to him.”

“So be ready for a lot of chaos and stick close to your ass, got it,” Skinner said, then went back onto the channel with Maverick. “Hang tight, buddy,” he said. “We’re coming to get you.”

We both left our ships in orbit of the moon, both of us dropping into stealth mode. Before we went onto Phobos, I exchanged my sniper for a fusion rifle. There was silence when we transmatted down into the ground. Skinner walked up to me. 

“Where are they?” He asked me. There were no Taken in the immediate vicinity.

“Ghost, can you bring up the heat signatures?”

The radar showed up on the screen behind my helmet. Just like I thought, he went down the exact same way I did with my fireteam. “Okay, Skinner. Stay close. This is going to be one hell of a rescue mission.”

Skinner and I descended down into the base on Phobos and Taken must have started sensing our movements. We were fighting endless Thrall and Psions, but still pressed forward. I could feel my throat tightening the further we went in, memories that I had tried so hard to bury were surfacing. It felt like we were fighting endlessly, but thankfully I noticed that the heat signatures were getting closer. “We’re close, Skinner. I think they’re just past this door.”

He deployed his Ghost while I covered him, shooting down Taken Thrall and Psions that kept coming at us. When we finally got inside and shut the door behind us, it was silent. I was almost hyperventilating at this point.

“Are you okay?” Skinner asked me. 

“Yeah. I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.”

We walked down the hallway. The silence was eerie and terrifying, but there were no Taken portals here. The further down we went, the more I could sense Skinner’s desperation. He wanted to find Maverick just as badly as I wanted to find my team. Suddenly, he stretched his arm out in front of me. 

“I hear movement,” He said quietly. “Wait here.”

Before I could even protest, he activated his Bladedancer and went invisible, and he was gone down the hall and around the corner in a blur. I could hear the blood rushing through my ears as my heart pounded in the silence. I heard gunfire and the shouting of Cabal, and I couldn’t wait. I ran around the corner as Skinner shouted, in all his sudden arc to void subclass glory, “Only I get to kill him!” Skinner drew back a void bow, and fired arrow after arrow at the Taken, killing them and they exploded into void light. Since when was Skinner a Nightstalker?

When the Taken finally retreated, I lowered my weapon, and sighed in relief at the sight of Maverick alive, but Skinner screamed at him and stabbed him in the head. 

“No!!” I screamed and rushed over to Maverick, where his Ghost came out and opened, trying to resurrect him.

“Come on, motherfucker!” Skinner screamed as he pulled his knife out of Maverick’s skull. “Res so I can kill you again!”

“Skinner, stop it!” I shouted and yanked on his arm so Mav’s Ghost could actually do its job, while also lowering his knife, and put myself between the two of them as Maverick started to stand up. “Leave him alone.”

“You are NOT protecting him from me, Genesis, now move!”

“No, asshat, calm down!”

I could hear the distinct buzz of Cabal weapons loading and locking onto a target, so I turned and reached for my gun out of instinct, but Maverick stood in front of us with his arms out, so the Cabal disarmed their weapons.

“Don’t shoot! They’re my fireteam!” Maverick reassured the Cabal and slowly, they disarmed. “Now is not the best time to be throwing knives into my head, we have bigger problems.” Maverick snapped at Skinner. 

“Yeah, and when we get back to the Tower I’m throwing another knife at you.”

“Fine but you get five seconds to run afterwards.”

“Will both stop fucking arguing?!” I snapped at both of them. “We need to get out of here, then you two can bitch at each other later!”

The two of them exchanged a look, Skinner obviously pissed and Maverick appearing apologetic, and they nodded.

“Genesis,” Maverick said, now turning to me. “You need to see this.”

“Mav… what did you find?”

“You’ll see.” He led me further through the armory. We saw the leader of the Cabal mercenaries, a Centurion named Bracus Zahn. He waved over to Maverick.

“I thought no one knew where you were,” Zahn said. His perfection of the common tongue shocked me at first, then I saw the translator on his wrist. How fortunate that Maverick managed to befriend a Cabal centurion that could understand the common tongue.

“The only two people who knew I was here are here now, so our arrangement is still a secret,” Maverick assured. 

“The transports are almost ready. Just need to make a few more adjustments and we should be good to go.”

Maverick nodded, then turned to me again. “Genesis,” he said quietly and placed his hands on my shoulders. He was hesitating. He nodded at the door behind him. “All of your answers are in there.”

“What?” I asked. My stomach dropped. “Mav… if they aren't… then they're…” I pushed past him and stood in front of the door. I froze with my hand on the door control panel. My Ghost revealed herself and looked at me. “Genesis… there are no…”

“I know,” I said quietly. I could feel the tears starting to sting in my eyes. I pushed a button and the door open. Each step I took as I walked inside felt even more paralyzing than the last. There were eight Guardians laid side by side, their bodies bloody and beaten, each with their Ghost set beside them. My eyes gravitated down the line of them and I saw Adam first. I rushed to his side and fell to my knees. His armor was torn and it was obvious he fought hard to make sure I got out, but the killing blow was clear: there was a wound that went straight through his heart. I reached up and pulled off my helmet. I had to see him with my own eyes.

“Adam…” I whispered. “Adam… no…” I clasped his hand tightly in mine. Age wise, he was younger than I was, but he was ten times wiser and smarter. He didn’t deserve this. “ _Je te verrai de l'autre côté._ ” *

I went to go stand, but Gilly was right on the other side of him. His armor was battered so badly and his helmet was cracked over his left eye. I let go of Adam’s hand and turned to face our Fireteam’s leader. Gilly should have been the one to get out, not me. Not me. I lifted his body and grasped him tightly. He was the one I first met after becoming a Guardian. My first friend. I pressed my forehead against his helmet. “ _Mon ami_ ,” I murmured. “ _Tu ne seras pas mort en vain_.” **

I lowered his body down and gazed at both of my fireteam members. I didn’t want to believe they were dead but it was bold and plain right in front of me. I wanted to hope that they had found cover and were waiting for an extraction. Maybe if Zavala let me go back, I could have saved them. They were gone.

I felt a hand placed on my shoulder, but I shoved them away. “Genesis,” Maverick said. “The Cabal…. Gave them their highest honor. They… they did everything they could to make sure you got back to the Tower.”

“It should have been me,” I said. My voice didn’t sound like myself. It sounded cold and dismissive… broken. I wanted to bring them back. I didn’t want their deaths. I would exchange mine for theirs in a heartbeat. “Adam should have escaped. He was so young. So talented. So much ahead of him. This was his last test to become one of Ikora’s hidden.

“And Gilly… he was our leader. He didn’t tell me that was his plan. He should have gotten Adam out.” I didn’t realize that tears had begun to stream down my cheeks and my throat tightened. “I was our long range assault, I should have been the one to cover them. It was my job! It’s always been my job!” I pounded my fist into the ground, and the pain that rippled through my arm helped bring me back to reality. 

“Genesis…” Maverick said quietly, and he knelt down beside me. 

“Don’t,” I said firmly and held my arm out to keep him away. “Please.”

“I know this isn’t what you wanted. But we have to get out of here.”

“Mav, I can’t leave them here. I left them here once, I can’t do it again.”

“I know. I’ve asked the Cabal, and they are going to help us bring them home.”

I nodded. Before I left them so that the Cabal could get to them, I picked up Gilly’s Ghost and Adam’s Ghost’s core… the shell was in pieces. I was taking them with me for now. When I turned and Maverick saw that I had them, he nodded. I looked at him now, and I could feel my own frustration with his decision starting to get to me.

“How could you do this?” I asked. There were still tears in my eyes. “Why did you come here? You could have ended up just like them.”

I saw the guilt in his eyes and he looked away from me. “I wanted to find your team. For you. You needed to know what happened, but you couldn’t go because you were on probation.”

I shoved him back against the wall. “Why did you do this to me!” I shouted at him and pounded my fists on his chest. It was a fruitless attempt. My legs were shaking and I couldn’t hold in my tears any longer. “You could have died… I could have lost you… Skinner could have lost you.” 

“Genesis…” He caught my arms to keep me from falling to my knees again. “I’m sorry, okay? I wanted to help.” Silence fell between us and I tried to gather myself. “I know this is hard for you, but we have to go. We can’t stay here much longer and the Cabal are ready to help us out. We will get them home. I swear.”

I took a few deep breaths and nodded, steeled my heart, and stood steady on my own feet. I tucked their Ghosts into my robes, close to my heart, put my helmet back on, and took a steady hold of my gun. Two Legionaries walked into the room, ready to gather the dead Guardians. I walked past them without a word, but I heard Maverick say, “Take extra care of these two. Make sure they get home with us.“

I walked back into the main hall, and saw Skinner leaning against the wall, flipping his knife in the air. I could tell he was holding in pent up rage. “Skinner,” I said and caught his attention. “Let’s go.” I stood by him and we waited for Maverick. 

“Skinner,” Maverick called out when he finally came out of the room. I could see the Legionaries carrying out the Guardians that were lost. I couldn’t take my eyes off my fallen fireteam members. “I need you to do recon. We need the path the ships with the least rifts and Taken in the way. Can you do that?”

Skinner scoffed dismissively, but nodded. “Yeah, I can do that. One Man Army.” Then he turned invisible and I watched him run away, scouting the route ahead.

“And Genesis,” he said and turned to me, “you stay with our Guardians and defend them with everything you’ve got.”

I could only bring myself to nod at him. When he walked away to give the Bracus an update, I pulled out my Ghost.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“I’ll live,” I said quietly. “Send the fusion rifle back to the ship and bring down my LDR.”

“Genesis… are you sure?” She knew, but did so anyway. I held my sniper up in front of my Ghost, inspecting everything from the barrel to the upper receiver, then cocked the gun and loaded a bullet into the chamber. 

“Without a doubt.”

* “I’ll see you on the other side.”

** “ My friend,” I murmured. “You will not have died in vain.”


	9. Evacuation

There was radio silence for the next 20 minutes. We were waiting on Skinner to finish his scouting mission. I was on one knee by the Legionaries that were transporting our Guardians, checking ammunition and trying to keep my focus off of the dead bodies of my friends that were next to me. I kept my sniper perched on my leg and I could see Maverick was casting a glance my way every now and then. Then the comms light up, and the two of us opened up the channel so Skinner could come through.

“So I’ve got two routes for you,” Skinner said through the Taken static.

“Alright let’s hear ‘em,” Maverick responds.

“You’ve got the most direct route but there’s a lot of Taken there with a couple rifts.”

“Alright, what about option two?”

“It’s completely out of the way but there’s no rifts and very little Taken.”

“So a bloodbath or a long diversion.”

Maverick turned to the Cabal’s leader. “What do you think we should do?”

“How long is the long way?” The Bracus asked.

“Skinner?” 

“About 15 to 20 min if it stays quiet,” Skinner responds. Maverick relayed the information.

“And the short way?” He asked again.

“Straight through the cafe and a 5 minute run down the hallway,” the Hunter reported.

“So I vote safe, Zahn?” Maverick turned to the Bracus.

“I’m with the short way.”

“Genesis?”

I paused before responding. Maverick was leaving the vote to me. While taking the short way was the fastest way out of here, it was too risky. We could all die if we got overwhelmed. “Take the long way,” I said. “I’ll cover you if anything comes up behind us.”

Zahn cuts in. “I could send some of my men down the short path as a diversion.”

“That’s suicide Zahn,” Maverick protested.

“They understand that without sacrifice there can be no victory,” Zahn reaffirmed.

“As much as I don’t like it, they’re your men.” Maverick turned to all of us in the room. “Alright, then that’s the plan. Let’s get moving people, let’s not waste time. Skinner, you get to the air strip ahead of us and watch the Taken’s movements and radio if they start to catch on to our plan.”

“You’ve got it, o’ great leader,” Skinner responded spitefully, then the channel cut off.

I stood and readied my sniper. “Maverick,” I said, and he turned to me. “I’ll cover you and watch for snipers. Lead the way forward.”

Before we leave Zahn commands half of his Legionaries down to the hallway. I nodded to all of them as they passed me. They were ready to die in order to get us out. All I could think of was Gilly. He was ready to die in order to get us out, but I was the only one who made it.

“They’re probably not going to make it, you know that right?” Maverick said to Zahn.

“I know and so do they, but I have taken their names so their sacrifice will be remembered.”

“Skinner are you in position?” Maverick said over the channel.

“Yup, waiting on you people.”

“Alright let’s get moving people.”

As we all leave the armory Zahn motions for the Legionaries for the distraction toward the main door. 

Zahn gave his men a speech to boost their moral. My Cabal was rusty, but it sounded like he was telling them this was for our escape, so not to falter. 

The rest of us head to the other way. I stayed behind with a new legion that was transporting the dead. A few Phalanxes and a Colossus followed behind me.

The comms light up again, and Skinner comes back through, speaking more to Maverick than me. “I still get to throw my knife at you back at the Tower right?” He asked

“If we make out of here you can throw all the knives you want,” Maverick sighed.

He laughed maniacally and cut the channel.

Our procession down the hallway was quiet, minus the sound of footsteps. I kept glancing behind us, just to be sure we weren’t being followed. 

“Skinner your intel is solid, not a rift in sight.” Maverick said over the comms.

“You’re fucking right my intel’s solid,” Skinner said sarcastically. “But the Taken are headed to the other door no doubt to help beat those Legionaries.”

“Good, less resistance for us.” As we’re moving forward, Maverick turns around and shouts the rest of us. “Alright Zahn, your men bought us a window let’s make sure we don’t waste it!”

“How’s it looking out there?” Maverick asked Skinner.

“Quiet, most of the Taken went to the hallway. Good call on taking the long way.”

“Are there any snipers out there?”

“None that I can see, it’s pretty clear, but there are rifts out here so we better make this quick ‘cause it will get ugly out here fast.”

“Well, we’re at the doors, is the coast clear?”

“For now, but with your fat ass I doubt it will stay that way for long,” the Hunter snickers, and I couldn’t help but give a little bit of a sigh myself.

“Children,” I chided over the comms, “behave.”

“Alright, ass,” Maverick responded to Skinner, then cut out of the channel. “Zahn, you and I should go out first and secure the ships.”

“Good idea, Light Warrior,” Zahn responded, and commanded his men, splitting them up and telling them where to go. I couldn’t help but keep glancing down the hallway behind us. I started to get a bad feeling about this, it was way too quiet. Before I could even bring it up to Maverick, though, I heard him tell Zahn to open the door, and they were gone. I hurried over to the door and knelt down, glancing down scope. I watched the airstrip as they ran, watching for trouble, waiting for this feeling in my gut to go away. I moved my scope off from them once they reached the ships and scanned the runway. 

“Okay, Genesis,” Maverick said over comms. “It’s all clear, come to the ships.”

I thought I caught some movement down the other end, but it was gone in an instant. “I don’t know, Mav,” I said as I lowered my sniper and stood. “I’m picking up some movement from the other end of the airstrip.” Even still, I motioned for the team of Cabal with me to follow, and we started to move. My gut started to wrench, like something was about to happen, so I motioned for the team to go ahead of me. I kept following them, but I stopped every five steps or so to look behind us and down the runway. And just like that, when we were halfway to the ship, every portal came to life and Taken started to pour onto the airstrip. 

“Fuck!” Maverick shouted. “It’s an ambush! Skinner, start taking them out, if you get compromised, come to me! Zahn, tell your men with Genesis to protect them at all costs!”

The Cabal and I formed a body barrier around the ones who were carrying the dead. I took out any snipers I could see from afar. The first wave of enemies was brushed off with ease. I quickly scanned the airstrip, and of course, back the way we came, I saw way too many Taken start to pour out of the hallway. 

“Move, move, move!” I shouted, waving for the Cabal to start running down the strip, and I brought up the rear. “Mav, we’re about to have a lot of Taken behind us.”

“Copy that,” he responded. 

I paused for a half second to take out a couple more Taken snipers that appeared, it couldn’t have been longer than that, but a Blight started to form in the small distance that was between the Cabal and I. I lowered my gun and backed away from it, and a gigantic Taken Knight spawned right in front of me

 _Why is it always me?_ I thought spitefully to myself. “Keep going!” I shouted to the Cabal, then pulled out my Sol Edge sword just in time to block it’s melee attack, but the pure force of it sent me backwards several feet. I quickly caught my footing, but before I could even go in for an attack, I heard the distinct clang of a hammer, and I looked up in awe as Maverick slammed a Sunbreaker’s hammer into the Knight’s leg, causing it to fall back, and started hammering it’s face into the ground.

Maverick was screaming and shouting a long string of curses. There was so much anger and rage in his voice it was barely recognizable. 

When the hammer finally faded from his hand, he stood, though his body was still surrounded by an aura of Solar energy. He turned to me. “Let’s go!” He shouted. “Before I have to pound another Knight into the ground.”

I could only nod and I ran past him, catching back up to the team. I escorted them the rest of the way to the Harvester without another problem, as most of the Taken had fallen back after Mav’s display of power. The Cabal started loading them onto the ship and I stood by the ramp, scanning the runway.

“Skinner,” Maverick shouted once he caught back up with us. “Come down here and watch her. I still have to escort Zahn and his men to their ship. And Genesis,” he turned to me, “please try not to get killed.”

I held up my hands. “Hey, it’s not my fault _everything_ has a hard on for me.”

He shook his head, but I could hear him chuckling to himself as he walked away. Skinner appeared beside me, and he watched the entrance while I went inside to make sure everyone was secured for the ride home. I knelt down next to my team members again, saying a small right of passing so they could have safe passage to the afterlife. Whatever that was.

I stayed inside with them until I saw Maverick coming back from Zahn. I joined Skinner back down on the ramp, and when he was within earshot, I said, “Alright Mav, everyone’s loaded on the ship, we’re just waiting on you.”

“Good,” he replies. “I’m flying the Harvester. You, my Ghost and Skinner will be flying escorts. You’ll be behind me. Skinner and Ghost you’ll be to my sides. Alright now call your ships.”

“Aww, but wanted to strap you to the front of my ship,” Skinner whines. I rolled my eyes. But of course, Maverick just had to indulge him.

“That’s a pretty fucking dumb idea, Skinner,” Mav responded.

“Yeah just as dumb as you coming here ALONE!” 

“Fuck off, I would have been fine.”

“NO you wouldn’t have.”

While they were arguing, I saw movement all the way back down the airstrip. They were coming back for more, now that the Cabal were gone.

“GUYS!” I yelled. “Taken! Let’s GO!” 

“Can I throw Mav to them?” Skinner asked.

“No, you can't! Now let's GO!” I snapped, then pulled out my Ghost and teleported back into my ship.


	10. Memories of Gilly

We slipped into Phobos’s orbit and started to get into position. I pulled the two dead Ghosts out of my jacket. I set them on my dashboard as I pulled off my helmet. I could see my reflection in the glass. I didn’t realize how exhausted I looked. There were dark circles under my eyes (which were also puffy from crying so much lately), my complexion was pale (paler than usual) I couldn’t go back to the Tower, I would be detained the moment my ship entered the airspace. 

“Genesis, you didn’t put their ghosts back with them?” My Ghost said. 

“I know,” I said quietly. “Dawn, set a course for the EDZ, French sector.”

“But, Genesis, you can’t—”

“Dawn!” I snapped. “Just do it.”

She set the course and I went into slipspace, leaving them behind. I made sure Ghost kept my location, comms, and feed off. I didn’t want anyone to know I was here. 

I landed on the EDZ, and had my ghost put my ship into stealth mode. 

I walked mindlessly through the deserted streets. I went to the area that I first met Gilly, he saved my ass from some Fallen. The memories played like blurry visions in the land in front of me. 

> _I was ambushed and fighting the Fallen, but I was hopelessly outmatched. I’d only been a guardian for about two weeks, so my arsenal was extremely limited. I was able to kill all of the Dregs and Vandals, easy, but my weapons couldn’t easily get through the Captain’s Arc shield. Just as the Captain managed to knock me of my feet and onto my back, I saw the brilliant flash of Arc Light surrounding a Titan that shoulder charged the Captain away from me, then finished him off with a pump of his shotgun._
> 
> _The man walked over to me, extending a hand to me, which I gladly took. “Are you okay, Guardian?” The Titan asked as he helped me stand up. “You put up quite the fight. You were outnumbered 20 to 1.”_
> 
> _“Yeah, well,” I said, brushing off my armor. “Short range isn’t really my forte. I’m working on it, though. This is really the only way though, right? Go in, head first.”_
> 
> _He laughed loudly. “You sound like a Titan.”_
> 
> _I shrugged my shoulders, but I was smiling._
> 
> _“You know, you say close range isn’t your best skill, what are you good at?” He asked me._
> 
> _“Long range assault. Sniping, long range reconnaissance, that sort of thing. It’s what comes most naturally to me. I’m not exactly sure why.”_
> 
> _“A lot of guardians think that our past lives have a lot of influence on what we are good at now,” he responded. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Name’s Gilbert; everyone calls me Gilly. Would you mind tagging along with me for a while? I could use someone who can use long distances to their advantage.”_
> 
> _I nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. I’d like that. Name’s Genesis, but I guess you can call me Gen.”_
> 
> _He laughed and gave me a one armed hug around the shoulders. “Aw, yeah, look at us, a two man band. Let’s get you a little more close encounter training.”_

I opened my eyes, tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I was standing in the middle of the intersection that this had happened. Fallen screeched, and ran out in a group of about twenty, like before, and ambushed me. I cast my Radiance, jumped into the air, and threw fusion grenades down at them. They exploded into fire, and I fired on them with my Monte Carlo when my feet touched the ground. The entire group was dead on the ground in a matter of seconds.

_I guess I’m a one man band now._

I walked away from the carnage and death, brushing the dust off my shoulders. 

“Genesis,” Dawn said as she floated beside me. “I know what’s going through your head. You’re trying to bring them back by reliving what happened between you guys.”

“No,” I said softly. “I’m just trying not to forget them. I don’t want to forget their voices or their faces. Not now, not ever.”

“But… you will have to move on.” 

“Eventually. Yes. But right now, I just want them here with me again.” I pulled their Ghosts out of my jacket and held them in my hands. “I prayed and prayed to the Traveler that I would find them alive, to tell them that I was so, so sorry for leaving them behind. Finding them as I did… Dawn, it just makes me feel that I’m the reason that they’re dead.” 

I didn’t want to let them go, but because I didn’t put their Ghosts back, the Vanguard would certainly suspect that I had gone with them back to Phobos. They would probably be interrogating Maverick and Skinner about my whereabouts by now. I slipped their Ghosts back into my jacket and pulled out my sparrow, and rode down the banks of the Seine. 

By dusk, I had arrived in Paris, or what was left of it. I hunkered down in a safe house that people on the outside of the wall had established. It was rare that they got to see a Guardian, but they always welcomed us, assuming that we were on an extended mission, or, in my case, AWOL. They gave me some food and cleared a spot in the safe house for me to sleep. I thanked them graciously.

“So, are you the one hiding from the Vanguard?” One of the people asks me. He was young, obviously a teenager. I pulled off my helmet and smiled solemnly. “I, uh, I heard it on the Vanguard channel earlier that there was a missing Guardian.”

“I am,” I said softly. “I missed my reevaluation because I went to go find a friend, and if I go back, I’ll be put on lock down for ignoring such a vital protocol.”

“Wow,” the kid gasped. “They sound strict.”

I laughed softly. “Yeah, they kind of are. Which is why a lot of us tend to break the rules.”

“Well, don’t worry,” the woman with the teen said. I could only assume she was his mother. “You are safe here. At least until dawn. I don’t recommend staying in one place for too long.”

“I know, and I thank you again for your hospitality.”

“No problem,” the woman said with a gentle smile. “Now try and get some rest.”

They blew out all of their lamps except for one, which the watchmen stood by to watch for Fallen. I laid down on my back and stared at the ceiling, and Dawn floated over me, a small concerned chirp coming from her. “Goodnight, Dawn,” I whispered softly and lightly kissed the top of her shell.


	11. Memories of Adam

I woke up the next morning at the crack of dawn, as per usual. I sat up slowly and looked around at the humans in the safehouse. They were all still asleep. I stood slowly and slid on my helmet, gathered my belongings, and left them a pile of glimmer for their trouble. I nodded to the watch guard, then slipped outside into the early morning. I waited until I had walked a distance away before summoning my sparrow and riding through the Parisian streets. Most of them were in terrible condition, as the Hive had started to corrupt some of the city. This was where Gilly and I met Adam. He was training to be one of Ikora’s hidden at the time, and he continued to train after he joined our team. 

> _Gilly and I were walking down the street, shooting down Hive Thrall with no issues. But all of a sudden, they started falling, one by one, each with a bullet in their heads. A warlock jumped down from the balcony of a building beside us, three stories up._
> 
> _“Hey there, fellas,” he says with a laugh. “Sorry to take all of those guys from ya, I’ve been tracking them for a while now.”_
> 
> _“Really?” I said, surprise clear in my voice. “We’ve been following their trail for a while now.”_
> 
> _“I know,” he responds, and holsters his hand cannon. “I’ve pretty much been with you the whole time.”_
> 
> _“Well, you certainly got past us,” Gilly said. “We had no idea you were even nearby.”_
> 
> _“Well… I’m training, ya know?”_
> 
> _“I know,” I said. “I failed mine a little early on. Apparently I have a temper that can give me away far too easily.”_
> 
> _The warlock laughed. “Ha! Usually we fail because we don’t have the patience.”_
> 
> _I laughed with him. “My patience has grown since, but there are no second chances with Ikora’.”_
> 
> _“Yeah,” he said with a sigh._
> 
> _“Ya know,” Gilly started, “You seem pretty young to already be training for that.”_
> 
> _“I know, but I think Ikora saw something in me. I asked to start, I was eager to learn, and I think she liked that I was willing to do whatever it took.”_
> 
> _“Well…” Gilly continued. “I know you have your own missions, but I like you. Would you like to join us? Genesis here does a lot of long range attacking and recon, I’m our front line enforcer, we could use someone to balance us out.”_
> 
> _He looked suspicious. “Don’t you think a Hunter would be the better bet?”_
> 
> _“I suppose,” I said with a shrug, “but to be honest, a lot of Hunters around that we asked to join our team have turned us down. They tend to like their independence.”_
> 
> _“I’m in,” he said happily._
> 
> _“Wait, really?” Gilly was shocked. “Just like that?”_
> 
> _“Hey, this training is a good way to spend my time, but it’s only temporary. It’s lonely, anyway. I’d like to have people to kick some ass with.”_
> 
> _“Yes!” I exclaimed, and hooked arms with our new team member. “Well, I’m Genesis, you can call me Gen if you want. And our fearsome leader here is good ol’ Gilberto, but he hates it when I call him that, so Gilly usually works.”_
> 
> _The young warlock laughed and walked alongside me as we started to head down the street. “Well, I’m Adam. It’s really great that I met you guys.”_

I was standing on the very balcony that Adam had jumped down from. The sun was high in the sky now, nearing noon, so I sat down and relaxed against the cool shade of the balcony above me. Ghost came out to check on me, again, and I sighed.

“You don’t need to be so worried,” I said to her.

“Yes I do. It’s my job to worry about you.”

“It’s not like I’m going to kill myself, you’d just resurrect me anyways.”

“True, but I can’t help but worry about you.”

I paused for a while before responding. “They were my family,” I said quietly.

“I know,” she said. “But you could have another family. Skinner and Maverick…”

“Skinner and Maverick don’t need an unstable Guardian on their hands. No, this is my burden, and I must bear it.”

“Certainly you can’t really mean that. What about Maverick? You left without saying anything to him and even locked yourself out of the private channel.”

Maverick. What of Maverick? Memories of our night out, our kiss on the roof, waking up in his apartment, him waking up in mine… It sounded like a love story that was destined to crash and burn. 

“I don’t know… I think he decided what was going to happen to us when he decided to take a suicide mission to Phobos.”

“It’s not that simple,” my Ghost said. “I don’t think he’s going to let you get found out by the Vanguard. Genesis, do you know what they do to Guardians that go AWOL?”

“Not… entirely. No.”

“Complete lock down. I’m talking about solitary confinement lock down. They can’t be let outside, not even in other parts of the Tower, until the Vanguard deems that you are stable enough to be let out. Even then, most Guardians that go into lock down never stabilize, and I’m pretty sure most of them agree to become Exos so that their memories can be wiped and rebooted, just so they can get out of confinement. No. Guardian. Makes. It. Out.”

My stomach dropped. I didn’t think about that. “Okay, Ghost, I get it. Maybe he does care enough not to give away my location, but I can’t go back. If I get put on lock down, I don’t… I don’t think I’d make it out.”

“Genesis…”

“C’mon. We need to find some shelter for the night. A storm is coming.”

I found a small, somewhat hidden abandoned shelter near the Eiffel Tower ruins just after night had covered Paris in darkness. It had started raining shortly before nightfall, so I was soaked through and chilled to the bone when I hunkered down for the night. I held my Ghost in my hands close to my chest, when I saw a group of Vanguard patrol Hunters go riding by on sparrows. So they were starting to have an idea of where I was. I desperately hoped that they wouldn’t find me, and paranoia prevented me from sleeping. 

I closed my eyes, clutched onto my Ghost, and prayed to whatever god was out there that I wouldn’t be found tonight.


	12. The Storm's Balance

I was exhausted by the time sunrise came, and I was cramped from having to keep my legs folded to my chest. I saw two more patrols pass during the night, and then one solo rider closer to dawn. Unfortunately, the storm had only gotten worse over the course of the night and it was raining heavily. Still, I finally got myself up, stretched, and took myself out from under cover. I walked around aimlessly, remembering the time Adam playfully dared me to climb the tower. Me, being overconfident me, took his dare, and got a quarter of the way up before Gilly had enough of the games and called me back down.

It was a fun dare at the time.

I approached the ruins and gazed up at the rusted tower.

“Hey Ghost?” 

“Hmm?” 

“You think Adam’s dare is still active?”

“What?” My Ghost shouted. “No! Are you insane?”

“Yup.”

I ran up to the front right leg of the tower, and started climbing. The entire way my Ghost was lecturing me and begging me to stop. But I kept going, bar by bar, level by level. I was three quarters of the way up when I heard someone screaming.

“GENESIS!” 

I paused my climb and looked down, but I could barely see the figure standing below me.

“MAVERICK?!” I screamed down. His voice was barely able to be heard, I could barely tell it was him, but something about it made me think it was him. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! COME BACK DOWN, WE CAN TALK!!”

“WHAT?!”

The wind started picking up and I nearly lost my footing. I screamed initially, and struggled to hang on to the slick metal. “Genesis, you need to get down, it’s too dangerous,” My Ghost piped in.

“I know!” I snapped back, but I was still clutching onto the metal bar, as if I was welded to it.

Out of nowhere, I felt electricity run through my entire body as lightning struck the tower. I remember screaming, but I’m pretty sure I must have blacked out for a few seconds, because when I opened my eyes, I was falling off of the Tower. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. The lightning must have shorted out my jetpack because I couldn’t activate anything to catch myself.

I could still feel the electricity surging through me, and I turned myself over. I was so close to the ground, so I just… prepared for instant death, I guess. But I felt my Light surge and I thrust one of my hands out below me, Arc Light erupted from my palms and surged throughout my entire body. I didn’t touch the ground, and instead, I hovered about a foot over it. I looked at my hands, saw the lightning that was surrounding my body, and I realized what had happened. My close encounter with death actually gave me a surge of Light. And just to be sure, I thrust my palms out in front of me, lightning shot forward in an endless stream, and started to dance up the Eiffel Tower.

When the Arc Light faded from my body and my feet touched the ground, my Ghost finally caught up with me after my fall and hovered around me. My grief had… faded. I felt incredibly calm, almost renewed. I pulled the dead Ghosts of my fallen fireteam out of my jacket. I had lost them, but I will always carry their Light with me.

“Genesis…” my Ghost said in wonder. “You’re alive! And you’re a Stormcaller, at that! How do you feel?”

I looked up at my Ghost, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Calm. I feel calm. At peace.”

“Genesis!” I heard Maverick now, clear as day. He was running towards me.

“Maverick!” I cried out. I pulled off my helmet, and ran back towards him. The moment he was within reach, I wrapped my arms tightly around him, and he wrapped his arms around me. I embraced him tightly and didn’t let go.

“I had a feeling I would find you here,” he said quietly. I looked up at him, then gently started to remove his helmet. I wanted to see his face. He chuckled and removed it himself. Water from the rain already soaked my hair and, as if to combat it, Maverick cast a Ward of Dawn, and protected us from the elements.

“I’m sorry,” I started. “I couldn’t go with you. I just…”

“Shh…” He hushed, and pulled me close to his chest. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I know.”

“But the Vanguard…”

“Screw the Vanguard. Genesis, they can’t detain you. I won’t let them. Ikora is trying to talk Zavala out of it right now. I haven’t had the meeting with the Vanguard for the official reports for our rescue efforts on Phobos. They will have to understand that we couldn’t have done that without you.”

I shook my head. “The moment that I set foot in the Tower, they _will_ detain me. At any cost.”

“Genesis!” Maverick held both sides of my face and lifted it up so that I made direct eye contact with him. There was a fierce seriousness in his eyes. “ _I won’t let that happen_.”

Before I could open my mouth in another protest, his mouth pressed against my lips. I was taken aback by his forwardness, but I didn’t hesitate to him back. When he pulled away, I nodded. “Okay,” I said with a sigh. “I trust you.”

The Ward disappeared from around us, and out of nowhere, two of the Vanguard patrol groups I saw last night surrounded us. We stood back to back and Maverick put his helmet back on. I couldn’t put mine back on since it was on the ground, thirty feet away. Before either of us could draw our weapons, two of the Titans in the group threw flashbangs at our feet, and the explosion stunned us. I fell onto my knees, holding my head, I heard Maverick scream and try to tell them something, but the ringing in my ears was too much. One of the Titans and another Hunter grabbed me by both arms while I was stunned, and… I don’t remember what happened next. Everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

I don’t know how long it was before I woke up, but when I did, my Ghost floated up in front of me.

“You’re awake!” She exclaimed. “Thank the Traveler.”

“Where am I?” I asked softly and rubbed the back of my head. I had a killer headache. I blinked a few times and realized I was in a white room, nothing in it, no windows, and the vaguest outline of a door that had no handle. I could feel my heart sinking as the realization sank in. 

“You… You’re in total lock down,“ Dawn confessed.

I didn’t say anything in response. I was afraid this would happen. The moment I stopped running, they would have found me. “Do you know what happened to Maverick?”

“He protested, but there was nothing he could do. The people that caught you were Zavala’s bounty hunters, nothing gets in the way of their missions. They had their orders.”

“Is he alright?”

“He should be. They told him he would have to take it up with Zavala before they caught hold of me and put me in here with you.”

Rage sparked through me at the thought of someone touching my Ghost. Someone who wasn’t Maverick, a stranger with malice in his intentions.

I close my eyes to refocus and sighed heavily. “So what happens now?”

“Now?” My Ghost paused before responding. “We wait. Try not to go insane.”

I crossed my legs and closed my eyes, taking a few deep breaths, inhaled slowly, exhaled slowly. I could still feel Arc energy flowing through my veins. “I am the storm,” I said softly. “I am the calm in the eye of the hurricane. I will not falter.”

I let my body relax, and entered a meditative state. Nothing could distract me, or cause me to panic. I simply thought of my Fireteam, thought of Maverick, and thought of my mission. 

_I will remain as myself. I will not falter._

When the door finally opened, my eyes shot open, and I thrust my hands forward. The thunder strike erupted from my palms and struck the man that stood before me, I jumped up, kicked the back of his knees to lower him and put the man in a headlock before he could sink to the floor. 

“Where’s Zavala?!” I demanded. 

“In the Hall!!” the stranger responded, his shout garbled by the pressure of my arm on his throat. He sounded like one of the bounty hunters that had kidnapped me to bring me into isolation. I let the man go, he fell to the ground coughing, then I turned and walked out the door like nothing had happened. I had been stripped of my armor and put in a simple white shirt and pants, something usually seen on rogue Guardians when they were undergoing several reevaluations.

I caught glances from almost every Guardian that I passed by, unaware that my blue eyes were almost glowing with the Arc Light that hummed through me. I walked proudly through the Tower, straight to the Hall of Guardians, but the Vanguard weren’t there. They must have been in a private conversation elsewhere. I turned around, and saw Lord Shaxx wave me over.

“Greetings, Guardian,” he said. 

“Lord Shaxx,” I replied with a nod of my head. “Do you know where the Vanguard are?”

He nodded, then slipped me a small diagram of how to get to the private conference room that was reserved for reevaluations, private meetings, and battle discussion. Essentially, a SCIF.

“Thank you,” I said, and took off without much more to say. I followed his map down a hidden hallway, and I could hear the arguments happening on the other end. I recognized the voices of Ikora, Zavala, and Cayde-6, so I hovered outside the door, listening in on the conversation.

“Genesis Page is a flight risk!” Zavala said. “We cannot let her out of lock down until she clears a few evaluations.”

“You cannot believe that,” Ikora stepped in. “She missed her reevaluation for the sake of trying to save another Guardian.”

“ _And_ she helped bring everyone home,” Cayde added. 

“Even still, her revaluation was a necessary part of rehabilitation. The simple fact that she didn’t return to the Tower afterwards showed that she did not have intentions of receiving the reevaluation.”

“That’s because you labelled her a criminal!” It was Maverick that spoke now. His voice was strong and stern, full of anger. “She was grieving the loss of her fireteam, just like I did. I know what was going through her head. You couldn’t possibly understand what it’s like, Commander.”

“You went through your eval, Maverick-8,” Zavala snapped. “She did not. There is nothing you can do.”

“It doesn’t matter if I got my eval at the time!” Maverick yelled back. “I disappeared to the Moon for a solid week! Just to slaughter Hive in the name of my fireteam! You couldn’t understand the pain of loss!”

“Enough!” Zavala shouted, and a silence fell over the room. I couldn’t stand the way that he spoke to Maverick.

“You don’t know what I saw in the EDZ,” Maverick said after a moment of silence, his voice level and calmed. “She is no flight risk. Ikora, you were right. She is one of the best of her age.”

“What happened out there, Maverick?” Ikora asked.

Before he could speak, I entered the key code Shaxx wrote on the paper and opened the door. Everyone fell silent at the sight of me. “I embraced that storm that has been tormenting me for the last week,” I said simply as I walked up to Maverick and stood beside him. “In my time in the EDZ’s French district, I followed the path of how I met my team. I didn’t want to forget them, and it was the only way I could feel them near me. Not anymore. There… there was an incident that Gilly never added in his reports. Adam had dared me to climb the Eiffel Tower, and in my overconfidence, I did. Well, I only got part of the way before Gilly demanded I come down.”

“Where are you going with this?” Zavala said, though his frustration of my appearance was clear in his voice.

“Right, anyway,” I said. “I climbed it… how long ago was it?”

“Two days ago,” Maverick said quietly.

“Oh, wow, I was out for that long? Anyway, I climbed it. In the middle of a very bad storm. Lightning struck the old monument, and I fell off. But… I found peace in my panic, so to speak. I embraced the storm. I embraced both my life and their deaths.”

“You are a Stormcaller?” Ikora deduced with wonder in her voice. 

I nodded and smiled. “And I have felt like myself again ever since. Acceptance of what happened. That I can’t change it, but their Light will always be with me.”

“That doesn’t explain how you even ended up here,” Zavala said. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Oh? That little detail. Right. I don’t know, mister tough Commander, _I was kidnapped by a group of Guardians_! How the _fuck_ did you think I was going to respond when I woke up in solitary confinement without much recollection of how I got there because they knocked me out when I wasn’t even resisting! You need to teach your bounty hunters to give people a chance to surrender before they knock someone out.”

Cayde burst out into laughter and I heard Maverick stifling a chuckle. Even Ikora had a smile on her face, though she was trying not to show it. Zavala was not amused.

“Language, Genesis,” he said lowly. 

“Language yourself,” I said back. “Look, you can give me your test, you can give me ten of them, or you can let me prove myself through action. Anyone can fake your tests on paper. Let me prove it to you. Give me a chance, please.”

I watched the Titan Vanguard glance at his associates, then glance at Maverick and I before he caved. “Very well. Do not disappoint me, Guardians. You are dismissed.” 

I smiled and nodded my head, and Maverick and I left the room in tandem. Once we were alone in the hallway, I felt Maverick place a hand on my lower back.

“You really need to get out of those clothes,” he said. I looked up at him suspiciously and he quickly realized how his statement could be perceived. “No no no, not like that, I mean, you know, they basically paint you as a criminal and you aren’t a criminal and every Guardian in the Tower is staring at you and…” He sighed and covered his face with his hands. “Ugh, this is coming out so much worse than I wanted it to.”

I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “Oh Maverick, you really need to stop trying so hard all of the time. But you’re right. Some of my own clothes would be so much more comfortable.”

He visibly relaxed that he got away clean with his misleading statement, but he slowed down his walk. “What is it?” I asked softly.

“Well… since you were gone for so long, all of your belongings were put into storage.”

“Oh.”

We exited the hallway into the Hall of Guardians, until we were finally on the main level of the Tower and I walked over to the Postmaster. I collected my mail and engrams that had shown up in the past five days or so, and started to sift through it. Maverick leaned against the wall beside me. I could hear the whispers from Guardians every now and then, some about my clothing, some about what happened to me on the Eiffel Tower, and some were saying that I was one of the heroes that brought the missing Guardians home from Phobos.

“Word floats around fast,” I remarked after I finally got through all of my mail.

He scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. “Unfortunately, people around here take gossip like it’s free exotic engrams. Without a fucking question.”

I shook my head and leaned against his side. “It’s a little… unnerving.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Do me a favor and DON’T ask me what they’ve said when you aren’t around. To me. I think I’ve gotten like eight citations in the past four days for assaulting other Guardians with the intent to harm. And Skinner has DOUBLE.”

I just stared at him in both shock and awe, and for a split second I thought I was going to start crying. And I did, and I tried to hide my face from Maverick. I only choked out a small “thank you” before walking away as quickly as possible. I slipped into the elevator when two Guardians just came out of it, pushed for the City level, and closed the door before Maverick could follow me inside. Halfway down, I pushed the emergency stop button and sat down on the floor and pulled my knees to my chest. The light in the elevator dimmed and pulsed, casting the room in between light and darkness every three seconds.

These two Guardians defended my honor when I was unable to, and they were willing to accept the consequences without caring about their own reputation. I couldn’t appreciate them more, but I had no idea how to show it. Their kindness was more than I deserved from them, they were more like strangers to me than anything else. At least Skinner still was. I haven’t really known him for long. And Maverick… Maverick is a guy that I have fallen head over heels in love in that I’m not even totally sure I can stay with. There are rules around Guardians being in relationships, I’m sure, but I’m not totally sure on the specifics. And besides, I’m not sure about him, but I haven’t told any of the Vanguard about our relationship.

I shook my head and ran my hands through my silver white hair, and sighed heavily. This was too much and at the same time, not enough. I couldn’t understand why they would vehemently defend me, and yet at the same time I couldn’t be more thankful to have them. 

“Guardian?” My Ghost’s voice rang through my head. “You shouldn’t always question things. Sometimes it’s just meant to be. Those two care so much about you.”

“I think that’s the problem. The last two people that cared for me like that are dead.”

“I know, but I also know that you don’t want to stop moving forward.”

“Yes, but…”

“No but’s there, Genesis. Just let it happen. I know you don’t want to lose them, so why do you keep pushing them away.”

“Because I am afraid that I will fail them,” I admitted quietly. “I am afraid. Terrified.”

“And that’s all the more reason to keep them closer. You can’t fail them if you are with them.”

I thought for a moment and finally stood and deactivated the emergency stop, and the elevator started moving again. “Do you think that Maverick’s offer is still on the table, even after all that’s happened?”

“What offer? Oh, that. I’m sure that they still want you on their Fireteam.”

“Hmm… Maybe I should accept their offer then.” I smiled to myself and the door opened and another Guardian got on the elevator. I got off here, then climbed five flights of stairs back up to the level that my old apartment was on. My key code still worked, but sure enough, when I pushed the door open, my apartment was stripped of all of my personal belongings, everything from my clothes, to my bed sheets, to my paints and coffee mugs were gone. Any curious items that I had found in my adventures? Gone. All of my walls were covered by sheets hung over them to hide the murals, presumably until they could get a team down here to paint over them if I had been gone any longer.

I walked inside to the living room and collapsed on the couch. Despite all that’s happened, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately for me, there was a knock on my door. I groaned, rubbed my eyes, and stood.

“I swear Maverick, now is not the best time to talk,” I said and pulled the door open, but it wasn’t Maverick on the other side, it was Ikora. “Oh. Master Ikora, I’m sorry, I thought…”

She simply smiled at me. “I have an understanding of who you thought I was,” she said. “I wanted to come by and congratulate you.”

“Ma’am you really don’t have to.”

“Actually, we do,” she said. “There are so few of us left with the ability to control the storm. There are fewer who are even able to gain the ability. I also came to let you know that your transfer to the City has been approved, given that you keep your promise to us to prove that you are ready for the field.” 

“I do intend to,” I replied. “Is my apartment ready to be moved in?” 

“Yes. Everything from storage was moved there this morning.”

“Thank you, Ikora.”

“Child, you need not thank me. Fight well out there, Genesis,” she said as she walked away. I quickly gathered myself and hurried back down the hallway to the elevator, and pushed for the City level when the door finally opened up. I couldn’t be more excited to finally start living in the city. I couldn’t be more excited to tell Skinner and Maverick that I wanted to officially join their Fireteam.

When I finally got to the City level and the doors open, I opened a channel with Maverick. 

“Hey, Maverick, sorry I just kind of left you at the postmaster. But can you meet me on Crestwood Road, number 46? I just got my official transfer to the City and I was hoping you might be willing to help me move stuff and get settled in?”

“Oh, uh, sure. Do you mind if I bring the arsenal?”

“The arsenal?”

“Ha! Skinner, I mean. I think the guy would love to see you, since the last time he saw you was on Phobos.”

“Oh, sure! The extra hands would be good. See you guys in twenty minutes?”

“Sure.”

I cut the channel link and started jogging down the road. “Hey Ghost, can you direct me to my new place?”

“Yeah…” She started. “Crestwood Road is two blocks down. Your duplex is actually at an intersection with Langston Street, which is three blocks down on Crestwood.”

I follow the directions, and come to a beautiful brick building in the more historical district of the Last City. The side was decorated with several vines of ivy. The window frames looked old and the paint on them was cracked and chipped, but the moment I walked inside, it was nothing short of modern. My boxes were lined along the walls in the kitchen, and in my panic, I quickly searched through them for the painting of Maverick that I had started. I found it and set it up on my easel, covered it, and placed another unfinished painting on top of it. 

I started unpacking, and loaded all of my canvases along the wall by the easel. I was in the middle of unpacking dishes when all of the sudden the door flew open, and I turned quickly.

“Well, well, well, look who it is,” Skinner said as he walked towards me, his arms outstretched, and then pulled me into a hug. “The AWOL and MIA Guardian returned home a hero!”

I couldn’t help but laugh and I hugged him back. “You flatter me, Skinner. I’m just happy to be back.”

“I’m happy you’re back, too, Genny.”

I heard a second pair of steps start walking in, hoping it was Maverick, but Skinner picked me up and swung me around in a circle. I laughed and hit his shoulders. “Put me down, jackass!” I giggled, and pushed him in a friendly manner when he finally set me down. I turned around and surely enough, Maverick was standing there, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. “Maverick, I’m glad you made it,” I said softly, then went over and hugged him tightly. He hugged me back, Skinner burst into his signature maniacal laugh.

“Aww, Mav… If you keep looking at me like that you’re going to make somebody jealous.”

Skinner was teasing, obviously, but I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Okay, you two, I’ve got a lot of boxes to unpack, so let’s get going.”

We started passing boxes out to each other. I made sure to leave the ones with all of my casual clothing and personal belongings to the side so neither of them would touch it. But after a while, once most everything essential was unpacked and put away, we found ourselves lounging in the living room, Maverick and I on the couch, Skinner perched on the armchair. We were laughing, telling stories about our pasts. When we started, it was about midday, and now the setting sun was casting the room in an orange glow. I gazed outside for a moment, before I cut Maverick off. He was in the middle of a playful argument with Skinner about Maker knows what, I had stopped listening after a while.

“I’m in,” I said.

“Huh?” Skinner stopped talking and just stared at me.

“If you guys will have me, I’m in. I’d like to ‘officially’ join your fireteam.” 

“You know, I was hoping you would, because for fucks sake you are pretty good with that rifle of yours. And hell, you’re not like a lot of warlocks around. Most of them focus on rational decisions and don’t take risks. You do.” Skinner was grinning like a madman.

“Good. We’re happy to have you on the team, Genesis.” Maverick wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave me a hug. I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. 

“Well, thanks guys for helping me get settled in. But I really want to hit the sack. I’m exhausted.”

“Sure, sure, that’s fine,” Skinner said and stood up from his chair. “Besides, Cayde called earlier and wants to speak to all of us about some favor he wants. I dunno. He said he’d explain tomorrow.”

“Yep. We’ll meet you at the Tower tomorrow morning,” Maverick said, then stood up and followed Skinner to the door. I escorted them out to the door, but before I closed the door after saying good night, Maverick turned on the steps and looked at me. “And, Genesis?”

“What is it?” 

“Welcome to the team.”

I smiled at him and nodded. “Thank you.” Then he left, a slight smile on his face, and I closed the door.

I turned off the lights, collapsed on my bed and let out a contented sigh.

“Well, Guardian,” my Ghost said while I stared at the blank walls and ceiling. “Welcome to your new home. And your new family.”

“Thanks, Ghost.” 


	14. Nicknames

I honestly didn’t sleep too well in my first night in the City. There was too much background noise as compared to the Tower. Sounds from the City around me kept me awake. I yawned when morning finally came around and put on a pot of coffee. It was early, right around six in the morning. Too early, actually. I pulled a mug down from the cupboard and stretched my arms before I poured myself a cup of coffee.

I must have gotten two sips in when the feed lit up. Maverick was starting a call with Skinner and I. I sighed heavily and sat down at the table, then joined the call. It was too early for this.

“Good morning you two,” Maverick said. “I have one thing to ask and one thing to discuss. Firstly, I need you two to meet me in the Tower Hanger in about an hour or so with Cayde. He has a plan that Zavala doesn’t know about yet.”

“Well he’s my Vanguard so I’m in.” Skinner said.

“Genesis?”

“Hmm?” I responded with a small yawn. “Oh, yeah, I’ll meet you guys there.”

“Awesome.”

“Now what do we need to discuss Mav?” Skinner asked.

“Well I’m glad you asked Skinner, why we need to discuss a nickname for you, Genny.”

“I’m sorry what?” I asked. This, for the moment, woke me up a bit. I knew everyone had nicknames, but I didn’t realize I’d be getting mine first day on the job.

“Well if you’re going to be on my fireteam we need a nickname for you.” 

“Oo, Oo I got one!” Skinner piped in.

I sighed heavily and held my head in my hands. “I haven’t even gotten through a cup of coffee yet can this please wait?”

“Nope this needs to be done right now, Genny. Alright, Skinner, what is it?”

“How about Brute?! Seeming how she likes to be physical for a Warlock!”

“Never call me that!” I snapped at him.

“As fitting as it is, she’s still a Warlock,” Maverick said. “Genny, do you have a nickname for yourself?”

“Well, for starters, it’s definitely not ‘Genny’.”

“Well I figured that much. Your nickname has to do with either your personality or your fighting style. Thus why Conor is called Skinner, he likes to maim his targets when he can.”

“Wait, your name is Conor? Huh.” I knew that Skinner was only a nickname, but I was just so used to hearing him by it that I forgot to ask what his real name was.

“Don’t remind me and don’t get into the habit of calling me that, I like Skinner so much more. It’s very, very fitting.” the Hunter remarked.

“Okay…” I thought about it for a moment. Sure, my old fireteam gave each other nicknames, Gilly called me Long Shot, and Adam was Shadow, and Adam had a habit of calling me Gen, but other than that, I never thought of one for myself. “Well, Gilly always called me Long Shot, but I don’t want to bring that into this team. I’m really not any help right now. I’ll see you guys at the Hanger.”

“Wait what abou–”

I left the channel before Maverick could finish. I was a little too exhausted for that right now. The banter is fun and nice every now and then, but not at six in the morning. 

An hour goes by and I’m waiting for the other two in the Hanger. Cayde-6 hasn’t shown up yet to explain what was going on, either, so I just sat down on one of the crates by the Loading Dock, doing final checks of my weapons and inventory.

I could hear Maverick and Skinner arguing before they even got over to me, so I stood up and settled my LDR on my shoulder and balanced my helmet on my hip. “Boy, here I was thinking I was going alone. What took you guys so long?”

Skinner jogged over and stood next to me. “Well, he’s a Titan, as you know, so he’s a little slow.”

“Stop it with the Titan stereotypes, asshat!” Maverick was almost fuming. It was clear this was a joke already made more than once this morning. 

Even still, I couldn’t help but laugh and I shook my head at them. “So, what’s this mission all about?”

“Well now that you’re all here I’ll tell ya!” Cayde said as he jumped down from a rafter. “So I have a plan to get you guys onto the Dreadnaught, I just need one teensy little thing first.”

“And what would that be?” Maverick asked.

“Well you remember where the Devil’s set up their Prime Servitor Sepiks right?”

“How could I forget! That’s where I met this crazy-ass Hunter of yours!”

“Well the ship behind it? Has something we need to get up to that big ship.”

“Well what is it?”

“A Stealth Drive! You’re going to need it to get onto the Dreadnaught without being detected by its weapon. And lucky for you guys I hid one on that old colony ship before I got roped into the Vanguard.”

“Ahh so a retrieval mission into Fallen territory, easy.” Maverick said.

“Yeah well umm funny story. My scouts have been reporting some minor Taken activity up there so you better hurry.”

“There’s always a catch, isn’t there?” I said with a sigh.

“Almost always!” Cayde remarks. “Now stop standing here and go get that Sealth Drive!” As quickly as he appeared, he turned around and walked away. 

“Alright Skinner, standard find and retrieve should be easy enough.”

“But what about the Taken?” I added.

“Well if Cayde’s intel is right there shouldn’t be much. At least, not as bad as it was on Phobos.”

Skinner led over to me and whispered, “Cayde’s intel is almost always wrong.”

Right. Of course, I thought to myself. It’s never that easy.

“What was that Skinner?”

“Nothing.”

“Sure it was. Alright, team, let’s head out to the Cosmodrome and get that Stealth Drive.”

I pulled on my helmet and nodded. “Meet you guys in orbit.”


	15. Cayde's Stash

We hovered in orbit for a moment, waiting for our Ghosts to triangulate the location and our best route of action. Maverick came over the channel with Skinner, Cayde, and I. “Alright, everybody, let’s try and make this quick. I don’t want the other Vanguards catching wind of this.”

“And neither do I,” Cayde said. “I know you don’t need a reminder of who Crota is Maverick, but it turns out that the guy leading the front here is his father. His name is Oryx and he commands the Taken from that Dreadnaught. We need to get a team on there to establish a landing zone, but we can’t do it without that stealth drive.”

“So,” Skinner butt in. “Is that the actual mission that you don’t want the Vanguard finding out about? Getting us on the Dreadnaught?”

“Um, yup.”

“Lovely,” I sighed. I took a glance at the radar my Ghost was displaying. Everything seemed to be in order. “Alright Maverick, everything is locked into place, we move on your mark.”

“Okay team, let’s move. Skinner, fall in with me. Storm, you bring up the rear.”

“Storm?” I asked.

“Storm. Your nickname.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I like it,” I said quietly. “Just didn’t realize you guys decided without me.”

“No worries,” Skinner said. “Let’s move out.”

We fell into position and set a course for Old Russia’s Cosmodrome, and the flight didn’t take long at all. We all landed in the Blast, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were Taken everywhere.

“Uh, Cayde, we’ve got a real problem down here,” Maverick said over the channel.

“Let me guess, four arms, wear capes, smell really bad.”

“Well, yeah, but not our biggest problem. We’ve got a lot of Taken here.”

“I thought we had more time…” Cayde mumbled. 

“Right, so it’s fighting time!” Skinner laughed and pulled out his Red Death and jumped right into battle.

Maverick and I exchanged a glance and I shrugged. I’d love to give these things some of my own bullets, so I pulled out my sniper and said, “I’m going to find higher ground and try to carve a path ahead for you guys.”

He nodded, pulled out his Shadow Price, and followed Skinner in a hail of bullets. I made my way up to the top of some nearby rusted abandoned buildings, and set up. I started taking out any Taken that were trying to get to Maverick and Skinner from behind. Everything was going well with Mav and Skinner on the ground, but they just kept coming. I spotted an opening for us to take, though it wouldn’t last long.

“Hey, guys, I think I see a path through the Taken. If we don’t take it now, we might get overrun by these things. There’s no end to them.”

“Okay, Storm, get through and cover us from the doorway,” Maverick responded.

“Got it.” I exchanged my sniper for my Monte Carlo and jumped off of the building. I took out a seemingly endless amount of Taken Thrall and Vandals. I made a break for the doorway and tossed a grenade at a group of Fallen protecting the it so I could get through. When I did, I turned and started sniping anything that was following behind Maverick and Skinner. Skinner grabbed my arm when they finally got inside and pulled me up, and together we ascended the stairs to the Devil’s Lair.

“How bad is it?” Cayde asked.

“Taken everywhere. And they’re fighting the Fallen,” Maverick relayed back.

“Earth is going to look a lot like Phobos if you don’t find that stealth drive.”

The thought of that sent a chill down my spine. We turned the corner and heard the very distinct growls of Taken that were spawning in. I fell in line with Skinner against the wall.

“I’ve got these guys,” Maverick said. “Cover me.”

Before either of us could ask him if that was a good idea, he ran around the corner and popped his Hammer of Sol. The clang of hammers being thrown was like music: a roaring song. Skinner and I followed him in, picking off further enemies across the water that might have been out of his reach. He had the main room cleared out in a matter of seconds.

We regrouped at the abandoned corpse of a Prime Servitor, I was guessing it was the one that Maverick and Skinner defeated when they first met, mostly on the way that Skinner jumped on top of it and danced around a bit. 

“Alright there bud,” Maverick said with a chuckle. “That’s Sepiks, Storm, the Prime Servitor we defeated on our first mission together.”

“Strangers then,” Skinner declared as he jumped down, “and even stranger now.”

I laughed and shook my head, then Cayde came back on the channel. “Okay, team, you’re going to find a vault door. There’s a trick to getting through it so let me know when you’re there.”

We crossed the small chasm and onto the other end of the bridge, but the door was open and there was Taken corruption. We approached cautiously, but there were no Taken to be seen in the immediate vicinity.

“The door is already open, Cayde,” I said. “We’re inside.”

Cayde was flabbergasted. “And the flux grenades didn’t detonate?! I gotta get out of this Tower.”

“Looks like either the Fallen or the Taken managed to get it open, and maybe even a while ago,” Skinner said. We followed some old rusted platforms along the walls, just to another door. Most of the room was filled with water and the air was humid, so this was our only course of action. When we entered the next room, though, the Taken corruption seemed to get worse. We walked in cautiously. There were so many portals that clung to the walls and the floor, and a blight was growing out of the ceiling. 

“This feels… _worse_ than Phobos,” I said quietly.

Skinner shook his head and reloaded his gun. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“Eyes up!” Maverick shouted as Taken Thrall started to crawl out of the portals. Bullets hissed from our guns and all of them dropped to the floor quickly; the room fell silent once more. “Over here, guys.” We followed the Titan to an old, rickety looking elevator. He deployed his Ghost to the controls as we climbed on.

“What are the chances this elevator still works?” His Ghost said. And just like that, the door shut us in and the mechanics whirred to life. “Alright, we’re heading up.”

“Cayde? When’s the last time you rode this elevator?” Maverick asked.

“Relax!” Cayde reassured. “It works fine… but, just let your Ghosts stand by for resurrection.”

I could almost hear Skinner roll his eyes. “I am not dying in a fucking elevator. That is _not_ a fun story to tell.”

We rode up. It was easy going for the most part. “From this height I can pick up Taken energy readings throughout the Cosmodrome,” my Ghost said. “It took the Fallen months to take over this area, and the Taken have done it in hours.”

That was… unsettling. It wasn’t something I wanted to think about. Visions of how fast the Taken took over Phobos flashed in my mind.

As the elevator came to a stop and the door rolled open, Maverick opened the channel with Cayde. “Alright, _Vanguard_ ,” he said almost mockingly. “How do we find your stealth drive?”

Cayde cleared his throat like he was trying to restrain himself from responding to Mav’s comment. Skinner snickered quietly. “There’s a bridge from the tower to the ship. It took me days to get it working and it’s a little unstable, so watch your step.”

We all looked around. The bridge had been moved. Skinner hurried over to the control box, then groaned in frustration. “It’s never easy! Cayde, someone moved the bridge and destroyed the controls.”

“Yeah, that was probably the Fallen trying to keep the Taken off their backs. See if you can reroute the power.”

“There’s still an active feed moving through those pipes overhead,” Skinner’s Ghost was inspecting the controls and the nearby structures. “If you find the source I can patch the circuit.”

“Not it!” Skinner and Maverick shouted at the same time. 

I looked between both of them in a bit of shock and let out a heavy sigh. “Really? You two are children.” I leaned over the edge of the railing and looked up to the top of the tower. That was going to be a bit of a climb. “Ugh, give me a couple minutes.”

“Once you get the bridge working, my stash is in the ball on top of the colony ship,” Cayde said as I was starting up the stairs. We all heard Ikora in the background asking for details on his plan. I could hear Maverick and Skinner cackling from down below. “Yeah, uh, gimme a second, fireteam.”

The stairs only went up so far, so this all turned into a guessing game of “will this metal panel collapse if I jumped on it.” Not to mention the cross winds made it extremely difficult to keep my balance on the rickety tower. I jumped my way to the box on the very top of the tower. “I hate both of you,” I said to Skinner and Maverick as I pried the box open and let my Ghost hack into it.

Just as she finished hacking into the circuit to reroute it, the bridge started moving back into place and Cayde came back onto the channel. “Alrighty, back in business. Hey, the bridge is already moving! Get to the top of the colony ship where I left my stash and watch yourself on that bridge.”

I looked down over the edge of the platform and saw Skinner and Maverick started making their way across before the bridge was set in place. I started to lower myself down, when I looked out and saw the entire middle of the bridge collapse. “You have got to be fucking kidding me!” I yelled. Maverick and Skinner made it to the other side, but it looked like Skinner just barely made the jump. He was sitting on the floor of the bridge and Maverick was holding onto his arm.

“Is everybody okay over there?” I said over our private channel.

“Yeah, just fucking dandy,” Skinner spat as he stood and pushed Maverick off.

“Storm,” Mav said to me. “The rest of the bridge is stable enough, but that’s a long jump.”

“I have an idea or two,” I said, but it wasn’t very convincing. The cross winds were killer this high up and starting to make everything about this seem like an adrenaline junkie’s wet dream. “I’m going to go on the top of the bridge and try and jump from there. Might give me a bit more height.”

“We’re going to wait right here for you, but please,” Maverick paused before he continued. “Try not to under think the distance.”

I shook my head and we all opened up the feed with Cayde again. I jumped onto the last stable panel on top of the bridge and paused there, staring at my fireteam and trying to judge the distance. I took a deep breath and planted my boot on the pole in front of me, and used all of that to propel myself forward, and activated the jets just moments after I jumped to try and get more distance. I almost fell a couple inches short and my feet barely got onto the floor panel that was sticking out the most, but Maverick and Skinner both grabbed onto my arms to pull me in. 

“I told you _not_ to under think it!” Maverick scolded me and helped me catch my balance.

“I didn’t!” I said in defense. “Look my boosters don’t have the same horizontal force as yours do!”

Skinner laughed. “Poor warlocks and their shitty boosters.”

“Don’t remind me. You have no idea how many times I’ve almost died thanks to not making a jump.”

“Let’s get moving. I would like to get back to the Tower before night falls.” Maverick led the way forward, and Skinner made a giant sweeping motion with his arms for me to go before him. I shook my head and started walking. 

“I really want to shove you off of here right now, asshole.”

He laughed loudly. “Ha! Go right ahead, I can make it back up here just fine.”

I stopped dead in my place and turned back at him. “Don’t try me, you know I would.” He held up his hands in defeat, but he didn’t stop laughing

“Cut it you two,” Maverick snapped. “We’ve got company.”

Taken started spawning in the moment we walked through the door. With three of us, it didn’t take long to get rid of them, but the Taken Vandals and their snipers were the most annoying of them all. They could cast their own bubble of defense, which seemed to piss Maverick off the most. Every time they would cast one, he would run right in there and punch the hell out of them.

We started up. There were Taken and Fallen everywhere, fighting each other, fighting us whenever we walked into a new room. The worst were the Taken Phalanxes: their shield blast could knock you off the colony ship if you weren’t careful. Altogether, it was a mess. Between trying to fight off enemies and scale up a colony ship that was falling apart, I was surprised we made it through without any needs for resurrection.

Eventually we came to a Fallen lift that would take us to the top. I went up first, followed by Skinner, and Maverick brought up the rear. We started to unleash on a group of Fallen, but a Taken appeared out of nowhere, gigantic, angry and menacing. Our ghosts labeled it as an Echo of Oryx. For a moment, I was frozen. This Taken… it looked exactly like the one I saw on Phobos.

“Split up!” Maverick shouted. His voice snapped me out of my trance. I took cover behind a nearby cache, Skinner nearby behind a pile of metal boxes, and Maverick was on the other side behind some boxes.

“What Crota began I complete,” the echo shouted as it sent a blast of taken energy at the boxes Skinner was huddled behind. “My will conquers all!”

“You got a plan there, MetalMan?” Skinner shouted.

“I’m working on it!” Maverick snapped back. “How’s everyone’s superchargers looking?”

“I’ve got mine,” I said. The energy had been pulsing through me since we got to the first elevator.

“I’m ready to unleash my Golden Penis,” Skinner cackled. 

“Okay. Storm, get above him and use that landfall to your advantage. Stun him while we can. Skinner, pop that sucker and nail him between the eyes. When you’re out of juice, fall back to me, I’ve got my bubble ready to go. It’s on the platform right above you, Storm.”

_“Genesis, run!”_

I felt my body freeze up and I closed my eyes tightly. Adam’s voice echoed in my head. 

_“Go!” Gilly shouted. “I’m right behind you!”_

“Storm! What are you waiting for?”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Their voices were screaming in my head whenever the Echo of Oryx screamed or shouted something unintelligible. I focused on the energy flowing through me. Whoever said that Guardians don’t get PTSD was a liar.

“On my count,” I said after I took a moment to calm myself. “3… 2… now!”

I jumped up and once I was above it, I thrust my palms downwards and Arc energy surged through my body and out of my palms. I moved to the side and kept my electricity focused on it, making sure to keep moving so it couldn’t get a lock on me. Skinner popped his Golden Gun and aimed directly for it’s head. He fell back to Maverick who set up his Ward of Dawn. The two of them started firing on it with their heavy artillery, at least Maverick was. Skinner was knelt down, sniping it’s critical spot. I jumped back as I felt my energy fading, and ran back into the bubble before it could get a shot on me. I joined Skinner by sniping it. It roared in anger, but I think it knew that it had been defeated, because it teleported away and the Taken energy surge in the area faded. We all stood cautious for another minute, holding our primary weapons while we scouted the area.

“I… I think it’s over,” I said. 

“That thing seemed pretty mad,” Maverick’s Ghost said. “Oryx must still be holding a grudge for us, you know…” 

“Ghost. Shut up.” Maverick snapped. I hadn’t seen him snap like that at his Ghost before. 

“Things won’t get easier on the Dreadnaught,” Cayde butt in. “You find my stealth drive?

“Are you sure it’s still here?” Skinner asked. “I don’t see jack squat up here.”

“It’s like all things. You gotta know where to look. Ghosts, enter frequency 5982.”

They did simultaneously. I looked around and a fallen container nearby de-cloaked and revealed the stealth drive, in perfect condition. “I’ve got it over here,” I said, and deployed my Ghost for transmat back to the ship.

“The best hiding places are always in plain sight. Transmat it out of there and I’ll get it set up. Just, do me a favor. If you find anything else I’ve hidden, leave it for me. There’ll be treasure enough for everyone on the Dreadnaught.”

“Gotcha, Cayde,” Maverick said. “We should be back right after nightfall.”

We all got up into our ships. I opened up a private channel with Maverick.

“Hey, Mav, it’s just you and me. Do you… Do you know what that thing meant when it said ‘What Crota began I complete’?”

“Honestly? No,” Maverick said with a sigh. “I wish I could answer that, too.” 

“How do you feel about coming over for a cup of coffee?” I asked. “I… I don’t know if I’ll be sleeping tonight.”

“Too many memories?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

There was a long pause before he answered. “Yeah. I guess I could stop by for a bit.”

I know he couldn’t see it, but I was smiling. “Thanks, Mav.”

“No problem, Genny.”


	16. New Love

We arrived at the Tower and Cayde helped me unload the stealth drive. He thanked all of us and said we would let us know when it was installed. 

"Mav, before you take off, can I have a word with you?" Skinner said. "In private?"

I turned to Maverick, who turned to glance at me. I nodded and motioned for him to take off, and I left the hanger to go home and start a pot of coffee. Not to say I wasn't wondering what Skinner wanted to talk about, but it was their business. I hopped on the elevator and took it down to the Last City. 

“You’re suspicious, aren’t you?” My Ghost said.

“Of course I am,  _ peu de lumière _ ,” I said with a smile.

“Don’t call me that, Genesis,” she retorted.

“Why not? Would you rather me say it in English?”

“Ugh, nevermind. I guess that one is going to stick.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Am I curious about what they wanted to talk about? Yes. But they have been friends longer than I’ve known them. I won’t question it.”

“Sure you will, just not now.”

“Okay,  _ faire vous taire _ .”

Now my Ghost was laughing. 

I shook my head and left the elevator and hurried home. “Ghost, go ahead and start a pot of coffee,” I said when I walked in. I started pulling off my armor and setting it back on my armor rack. I definitely needed to repair some of it. I ran upstairs, stripped out of my clothes and decided to take a shower. Not going to lie, I did not like the way Taken corruption sticks to you. It lingers on your skin like sweat. “Ghost, make sure he doesn’t come up here if he shows up before I’m out.”

“Of course, Genesis, but there’s not much I can do but tell him not to.”

I shook my head and grabbed a towel. I tried to make my shower quick, but I heard Maverick shouting that he was letting himself in. “Fuck,” I mumbled to myself. He got here quicker than I expected, so I just rinsed my hair and did a quick body wash, then got out and wrapped myself in a towel. “I’ll be out in a minute!” I shouted. I dried off quickly and pulled on a sweater and some sweats, and walked out of my bedroom while still drying my hair with a towel. Maverick was leaning against the wall by the bottom of the stairs. “Sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t think you would get here so quickly.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said and followed me into the kitchen. I laid the towel over the back of one of the chairs at the kitchen table, then grabbed a couple of mugs down from the cupboard. The coffee wasn’t quite done brewing yet, so I leaned against the counter and gazed out the window. “You look tired.” Maverick remarked, then came to stand next to me.

I sighed softly. “I am. But…” 

“You’re scared to sleep.”

“Yeah. The whole time we were fighting that Echo, all I could hear was them. Like it knew what my fears were.” I rubbed my arms and looked away from Maverick. “Do you ever think of your team? If there was anything you could have done differently to save them.”

He paused for a long time before answering me. “Honestly, I do. Every day. But I don’t let it stop me from pushing forward. I know losing your fireteam is hard, but you can’t let it consume you.”

I nodded. “I’m trying not to. And when I’m in the field, it’s actually easier. But when I’m home, or hanging around in the Tower, I can’t help but think about them.” A heavy sigh left my lips and I turned, and poured the coffee for both of us, then handed a mug to Maverick. “I wish Zavala would have let me keep their Ghosts. It’s all that really remains of them. Bodies decay and memories fade, but Ghosts… Ghosts seem to linger forever. Light never fades.”

I picked up my mug and walked into the living room. “I want to do something so their sacrifice isn’t forgotten. The Vanguard says that their memory will always be here in the Tower, but soon, they will forget.”

“Did you ask Zavala for their Ghosts?”

“Not yet. We’ve got too much at stake right now. Maybe… Maybe when this battle is over.”

“You’re not going to sleep well until then, are you?”

I laughed spitefully. “No. Not at all.”

He walked over to me. There was a look on his face, like there was something he wanted to say but he was holding himself back. “Storm… If you ever need to talk to someone, Skinner and I are both here for you. We know what you’ve gone through.”

“I know, Maverick.” I smiled and placed a hand on his arm. “And I couldn’t be more thankful.” I turned and walked away from him and over to the floor to ceiling windows that gave me a view that overlooked the City. The lights were a sight I would never tire of. Like stars that were so close to touch. “You know,” I started after taking a long drink from my cup. “I think, even after all that’s happened, I feel more at home now than I did before all of this happened.”

“Good,” he said quietly. “Genny…” He was standing behind me now and his hands hovered just over my waist, almost like he was scared to touch me. I turned to face him, but there was a sadness in his eyes that I couldn’t place.

“What is it?” I asked quietly. I reached up to touch his face, but he turned away. My gaze softened and I tried to put myself in his vision. “Maverick, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” he said. “I just… I don’t want to hurt you.”

I was confused at first, but the gears in my head started turning, and I thought I understood. He was still an Exo, I was still human, and we both had ghosts that haunted us. Secrets that we didn’t want the other to know. We all have secrets. “I know,” I said softly “And… I understand. But Maverick…” I sighed and shook my head. “Nevermind.”

I had started to move away, but his hands cemented on my waist and prevented me from getting away. “I need you to say it, Genny,” he said firmly. 

I paused for a moment and looked up at him. “Maverick,” I said quietly. “I…” I started stuttering and my throat tightened, like my body was trying to keep me from telling this man that I loved him.

“Say it,” he said again. His voice was softer and he took hold of my chin. “Please.”

“I-I love you, Maverick,” I finally blurted after five more attempts to get my brain to function. “And I can’t lose you, okay? The thought of it terrifies me.”

His eyes searched mine, as if looking for answers, but he finally nodded. “Thank you. I just needed to know that I wasn’t the only one of us who felt that way. I love you too, Genny.”

Relief flooded through my body and I nodded, though I didn’t say another word. We sat down together on the couch and I nestled myself against his side. We sat there in silence, just allowing ourselves to each other’s company. I knew the Vanguard had rules about having Guardians of the opposite gender in your apartment after a certain hour, at least it was like that in the Tower apartments, but why should that matter? I must have dozed off at some point, because when I opened my eyes sunlight had dawned through the windows, I was in my bed, and Maverick was nowhere to be seen. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, feeling more awake now than I had yesterday morning.


	17. The Dreadnaught

The private channel lit up with Skinner and Maverick on the line. “Storm,” Skinner said. “I know you’re not a morning person, but Cayde got back to me overnight. The stealth drive is installed and we’re going out today to hit the Dreadnaught. We’re meeting up at Maverick’s in an hour to discuss a plan.”

“Gotcha,” I said with a yawn. “I’ll be there.”

* * *

The three of us were huddled over Maverick’s kitchen table. There were plans laid out and some maps of the dreadnaught that Cayde had sent over. They had gotten them from the Awoken Queen’s Guard, Petra Venj.

“Our mission is simple,” Maverick said. “We’re taking Eris Morn’s old Hive ship to the Dreadnaught to lower our chances of being detected. We’re going to breach the thing, deactivate its weapon, and find a good place to set up a landing zone so other Guardians can get onto the Dreadnaught.”

“It’s straightforward,” I said, “but there’s way too many variables. The stealth tech could malfunction, we could get trapped on that thing, or we could just not even find a way to deactivate its weapon..”

“True,” Skinner said and sat back in his chair with his feet propped up on the table. “But we’ll never know if we don’t try.”

“There is a lot at risk, yeah,” Mav continued. “But if we don’t do this we may not even have a chance at stopping Oryx and the Taken.”

I looked between both of them, then I held up my hands. “I’m not flying that thing.”

“Not it!” Skinner shouted right after me.

“Well shit,” Mav said with a sigh. “I guess this is payback for sending you up to that power box, isn’t it?”

“Oh, absolutely,” I laughed. “It’s only fair.”

Maverick sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, the sooner we head out, the better. I don’t want the Vanguard catching wind of our mission.”

“Oooh!” Skinner jumped up and started to pull me out of Maverick’s place by the arm. “Storm, have you had the pleasure of meeting our lovely Eris Morn?”

“The lady who’s ship we are taking?” I asked.

“Yes, but by your hesitance, I’ll take that as a no. C’mon! I’ll introduce you two before we head out.” 

I didn’t have much of a choice. Skinner kept a firm hold on my arm as he skipped down the City streets like a crazy person, and I was an unwilling participant in his games. I looked behind me at Maverick helplessly, smiling nervously, and mouthed, “Help me.”

Maverick, however, looked behind him, like I was looking at someone else, then shrugged his shoulders.  _ Asshole _ , I thought to myself. I was going to have to let Skinner drag me all the way to the Tower. The three of us collected in the elevator and I finally wrenched my arm out of Skinner’s grip. “Jeez, man, I get it.”

* * *

The three of us were in the Hanger waiting for the go ahead from Amanda before we boarded. I was bringing my Fusion rifle with me this time instead of my sniper. Maverick wanted me to stick with him and let Skinner be the distance fighter, since he could go invisible. We got our go ahead once she made sure everything was in shape to fly and the stealth drive was properly installed.

“Cayde was right,” Skinner groaned and pulled on his helmet. “It smells fucking  _ rank _ in here.”

“You’re the lucky one, Mav,” I said as I pulled my helmet as well, trying to block out the smell. 

“Why me?”

“You can’t smell anything, Mr. Roboto,” Skinner snapped.

Maverick laughed loudly and took his seat at the controls. “I guess you are right at that. Everyone take a seat. This is going to be a long ride.”

“Try not to kill us on the way there.”

I laughed softly and sat down in the seat behind Maverick and Skinner sat down beside him at the co-pilot controls. Maverick started turning on the ship’s controls and the engines whirred to life. “Alright, everybody, here goes nothing.” 

We took off out of the Hanger and left Earth’s atmosphere. “Alright, Little light,” Maverick said. “Set a course for the Dreadnaught.”

"Alright." his Ghost replied reluctantly.

On the way there Skinner began talking, “I can’t wait to get on that Dreadnought. Imagine all that loot!”

“Oryx first, loot later.” Mav reminded him.

“Who knows, maybe you can find…”

“Probably will.”

I glanced between the two of them with eyebrows raised and Skinner shook his head, as if to tell me not to ask. I shrugged my shoulders, and settled back into my seat.

As we reached Saturn, Maverick’s Ghost said, “We should probably approach from within Saturn’s belt. Should give us the element of surprise.”

“Good idea.”

We ducked into Saturn’s belt for the cover and reached the Awoken fleet. Debris was suspended in the ring, parts of destroyed ships and bodies of the Awoken floated aimlessly. I could feel my heart tightening. “It only took one blast from the Dreadnaught.” Ghost commented.

Cayde’s channel lit up and he started to come through. “When you’re through it will never fire again. Just don’t forget to plant the transmat link so other Guardians can land. Not everybody’s got stealth tech, and a ship that smells like Hive. Good luck, fireteam.”

“Activating stealth drive.” Skinner said. He flipped a few switches, and the drive hummed to life. In seconds, the ship disappeared from sight, and we approached the Dreadnaught. But after a few minutes, something was clearly wrong.

“I’m picking up fluctuation in the power conduit.” Skinner said.

“Relax,” Cayde said “I modified the tech myself. Probably just Saturn’s radio storms running interference.”

Just then the ship readout began to flash red and alarms began to blair.

“It’s malfunctioning!” I exclaimed. I stood up and placed my hand on the back of Maverick’s chair and stared out the front of the ship. 

“See? I told you it would do this.” Skinner hissed.

“Did you break my stealth drive?” Cayde asked.

The cloak failed and the ship became visible again. We were suspended in the open field between the Dreadnaught and the fleet behind us.

“…Y-You think they can see us?” I asked quietly, and the shake in my voice was unmistakable. 

Just then the Dreadnaught’s weapon began to charge.

“I think they can see us!” Maverick shouted. He punched the throttle and started to fly us towards the Dreadnaught, and fast. I braced myself on their chairs.

“Yup, you’re fucking crazy!” Skinner shouted.

That weapon charged up a lot faster than I thought. Before Maverick could land us on the Dreadnaught, the weapon fired. We all braced for certain death, but our Ghosts were able to transmat us onto the docks of the Dreadnaught moments before Eris’s ship was blown to pieces.

“What happened? Everything alright?” Cayde asked.

“Why wouldn’t we be alright?” Maverick said. “We’re just stuck here with no ship and no transmat zone.”

“Great. Told you my stealth drive would work.” Cayde began. “I’d like to tell you that the strength of the City’s behind you, but as long as that weapon is still firing we can’t risk reinforcements. Head inside see if you can find what's powering that weapon.”

We began to walk around to try to figure out where to go next. I spotted something familiar, a small ball of Taken energy. My old fireteam and I had seen a few of them before…. Before all hell broke loose on Phobos. “Guys!” I yelled, “over here!”

Skinner and Maverick both rushed over to me. “That’s the same thing my team saw on Phobos. Before everything went to shit.” I said.

“It might be a probe,” Cayde said, “so expect some trouble.”

As we approached the light, it darted down the hall. “Maybe we shouldn’t follow it.” I said. “It could be a trap.”

“Yeah well I don’t see another way. So we don’t have much of a choice, now let’s go.” Maverick said. We followed it, only to find it hovering over a bridge made of a weird Hive stone, hovering over a chasm below.

“You should test the water, Storm!” Skinner said. “Go jump on that bridge.”

“Why me?!” I asked and pointed my hand at Maverick. “Mav, you should do it.”

“Oh no, I’m not,” Maverick said. “I just flew a smelly ship with a stealth drive that failed. I’m not jumping toward a light made up of Taken energy.”

“Ugh fine,” I said and threw up my hands in defeat. “And just so you know,” I pointed at both of them and narrowed my eyes, even if they couldn’t see it. “I hate the both of you.”

“No you don’t.” Skinner said with a snicker.

I walked by both of them and approached the bridge. I stepped up on top of it, and stood there for a moment. Everything seemed okay. We might be able to jump from here to the next ledge. “See? It’s fine,” I said. “You guys can…”

Just like that, the bridge disappeared and I screamed in shock. I threw my arms out, trying to grab onto anything. I plummeted to my death in the chasm below.

My Ghost resurrected me on the ledge. Skinner was laughing his ass off. Maverick was looking at me with some degree of concern.

“Fucking assholes!” I yelled at them.

“I had no idea it would do that, Storm.” Maverick said. It almost sounded like an apology.

“I had an idea it would!” Skinner said with a smile. I glared at him and closed my fist around my Panta Ray. Maker, did I want to shoot him.

“Cayde the bridge vanished.”

“Give me a second, I’ll check with Eris. Uh, she says it’s probably just a ‘resonant spell’, whatever that is, so just don’t… don’t trust anything…”

“How about you let me take a look.” My Ghost said. She hovered over the chasm and started scanning the area, then outlined the platforms. Then we could use our Ghosts to sense the platforms. We crossed the chasm easily now that we could see where the platforms began and ended, and get an idea of when they would disappear. We walked to the next opening in the wall, as we cut down some Thrall feeding. We came to another hole and we looked upon the giant room we found ourselves in.

Cayde came back in “Any luck with the weapon?”

“We’ve only scratched the surface of the Dreadnought.” Maverick said.

“Hive keep vital operations deep in the core of the architecture. You’re going to have to get your hands dirty.”

We reach a room guarded by a few Acolytes. Maverick unloaded with his shotgun, I took out one with my fusion rifle, and Skinner threw a knife into the eye of another, killing it instantly. We entered the room to see a giant mass of Taken energy.

“That energy powers the weapon. Cayde what do we do?” Maverick’s Ghost asked.

“Okay, hold on. Eris is talking about ‘breaking the necrotic’... ah just shoot it!”

Before we began to fire on it, Skinner’s Ghost said, “Hold on there’s a shield, let me take care of it.” 

As his Ghost brings the shield down we all unload into the power cell, and destroy it. We heard sounds of part of the weapon disabling, but it wasn’t over. Taken began to be summoned into the room.

“It’s down but I’m picking up other channels to the weapon,” Maverick said.

“Find them. It won’t stop firing until you bring them all down,” Cayde replied.

We followed the Taken and were led to the second energy source for the weapon, but more Taken entered the room. We were insanely outnumbered. The three of us stayed close together to cut them down. It was hard, and for a while it felt like they kept coming. 

“Skinner!” Maverick shouted. “Get your Ghost over there to deactivate that shield!”

Skinner nodded and jumped over to the energy cell, and then deployed his Ghost. We cut down the last of the Taken just as the shield fell and we unloaded on the mass of taken energy.

“The weapons cycling down. Let’s find that last cell.” Mav said

“You know for the Dreadnaught’s only weapon it sure is lightly guarded.” I remarked. 

“It can stay that way for all I care now let’s get to the last cell.”

“And let’s make it quick,” I said. “The sooner we can get that transmat link set up, the better.”

We ran down a couple more hallways and reached the last cell. It was completely unguarded. But the moment we began to lower the shield, Taken began to spawn in.

“You were saying Storm?” Skinner’s sarcasm was obvious.

“Not now, Skinner,” I said simply and pulled out my Monte Carlo. “Let’s survive this ambush first.”

“Skinner you’re with me, Storm watch our backs!” Maverick shouted out orders.

I nodded at both of them and went to higher ground. Most of the Taken were Hive, so it wasn’t the best fight of our lives. Wizards now summoned Shadow Thrall and shot a solar kind of gaze, so they were our biggest problem. While I covered them from above, killing any Taken Acolytes and Knights that came into the battle, Skinner and Maverick fought side by side like a well oiled machine of chaos and destruction. My fusion rifle was good against the Wizard’s shields, so I lowered them and then they would lay into the wizards like it was their job. The fight only lasted a couple of minutes, however it was a bit difficult to manage until the Wizards were down.

“This sucks!” Skinner pouted when the fighting finally ended. “There must be a reason why there’s not much to fight.”

“Yeah, but I’d rather not find out why,” I replied.

We had a Ghost drop the last shield and we destroyed the last cell.

“The weapon’s down! Cayde, what’s our next move?” Maverick asked.

“We need that transmat zone up and running. There’s a massive hull breach near your location that will be your best bet.” Cayde said.

“Alright let’s get going guys.”

We turned and walked down the hall, where these totems stood like ominous statues on both sides. There was a platform ahead that looked almost like an arena. Two sets of stairs led to a higher platform, where this arch stood proudly. Maverick jumped down onto it, and before Skinner and I could follow, it hummed to life and a Hive portal appeared in that arch.

“Umm, Mav,” Skinner shouted down to him. “That big arch thing just activated.”

“And something big just came out of it!” I yelled. This giant hive Knight with two horns and a sword walked out, accompanied by more Hive.

“Crota?! I thought I killed you!” Maverick exclaimed in shock.

I looked down at Maverick and tried to process what he said. He said he killed Crota? He told me his fireteam had failed. I shook my head and decided to put it aside for now, but made a mental note to say something about it later. “How do we kill him?”

“We can’t, not without a Hive sword.” Maverick said. “For now we run!”

Skinner and I followed him as he ran out of the arena and onto some more of those floating platforms. I turned behind us when we jumped onto solid ground. Maverick’s words still rang in my head, so I stopped him from following Skinner towards the Hull breach.

“How do you know that’s Crota?” I asked him quietly. “And how do you know how to kill him?”

“I don’t know a shot in the dark. Couldn’t hurt to try later” he replied quickly. He seemed uncomfortable talking about it at the moment, so I decided to leave it alone. 

“You guys coming?!” Skinner shouted back towards us. “I think we’re getting close to the Hull breach.”

We nodded and followed Skinner towards the Hull breach.


	18. The Breach

After a short walk down another hallway we came out to a giant hole in the Dreadnaught, and a crashed Cabal warship. There were bullets flying everywhere, but most of the fight was centralized where the ship had crashed. We look around in both shock and awe at the spectacle.

“A Cabal ship, Skyburners colors. Must have deployed from Phobos,” Maverick observed.

The Vanguard channel lit up but only from Cayde’s end. “Cabal? We’ll deal with them later. Secure that transmat zone,” the Hunter Vanguard said.

We all headed toward the breach and planted the transmat beacon far enough from the fighting to go undetected and a large enough area for full fireteams to be able to land. As we start to head back, we all heard the distinctive screech of Hive rifts opening up. Tomb ships start pouring into the breach. At least five or six ships came in to drop off a small strike force of Hive. When the rifts reopened and the Tomb ships began to leave, alarms rang out from the Cabal ship and it let out a small defense force, which included a Goliath tank, to repel the Hive attack.

“Transmat zone is up and running, Cayde,” Skinner said.

“I’m going to bring our ship around.” Maverick’s Ghost said, to which Skinner’s and my Ghosts agreed and brought our ships around as well.

“Hey Zavala, want to see what a transmat zone on the Dreadnaught looks like?” Cayde said smugly.

Zavala joined the Vanguard channel and his voice was thick with frustration and anger. “You landed a Guardian on the Dreadnaught without authorization?!”

“And not just a Guardian, a whole fireteam, but that’s beside the point. Oh, and can I have authorization?”

“We’ll discuss this later,” the Awoken Vanguard grumbled. “Guardians, destroy that tank, or the transmat zone won’t matter.”

“I’ll bring down some ammo crates down from the ship. You’re going to need them.” My Ghost said.

“Alright, Storm,” Maverick said and turned to me. “Have you ever fought a Goliath tank before?” I asked.

“Once… I think. Honestly, I’m not totally sure.”

“Alright then, Skinner, you take a vantage point up on the broken hull up there. Storm we’re going to get closer to that tank.”

“But why do we have to get close to that tank?” I asked. I would think that we wouldn’t want to get close to that thing.

“Because Skinner is the only one that has long range weapons. Even then, we’re going to hang back a little and let the Cabal and Hive kill each other. Who knows maybe they’ll destroy the tank for us.”

Maverick and I hung back behind some Cabal shipment crates and Skinner took position up above the cabal ship, where he was just barely out of sight. The battle between the Cabal and Hive raged on, but we mainly kept our focus on the Goliath. Two or three Tomb ships entered the battlefield and buffed the Hive numbers with reinforcements. It dropped out four or five Ogres and a handful of Knights.

“That tank isn’t going to hold up against those Ogres.” Maverick commented.

“You really think so?” I asked.

“One Ogre sure it’s an easy win for the tank. But four or five like right now? I doubt that the tank can kill them all. Besides, those Ogres have Knight support.”

“Well I hope not,” Skinner said. “I really want to shoot something.”

“Let’s not attract attention we don’t need,” Mav chided.

“Fine.”

It went on for what felt like hours but after a little bit some of the Ogres began to fall but the tank was beginning to struggle to stay mobile.

“Can I take the shot Mav?” Skinner asked. We looked up at him and saw the red flare that was his scope. He was staring down it, likely with his finger already on the trigger.

“Not yet, Skinner. There’s still too many of them.”

“Ugh. You’re no fun,” the Hunter complained.

“Fine go ahead get yourself killed. Then I’ll laugh at you.”

“Okay then, I’ll…”

Before he could finish, the tank began to overheat and then began to explode.

“YAY! Finally I can kill things!” Skinner said with glee and began to pick off the stragglers

“Alright let’s go and kill the rest, Storm,” Maverick commanded and I nodded. We headed toward the ship, cutting down the remaining Cabal and Hive with ease. They were worn out from fighting each other and they certainly didn’t expect to see Guardians coming in to join the battle. As the last fighter dropped, Zavala came through.

“Guardians, Cayde just briefed us on your… unorthodox mission. Your victory no matter the method is a Vanguard victory. You have our thanks.”

“Everyone loves a bad idea when it works.” Cayde said. “Now, excuse me Guardians, I have to go have an uncomfortable conversation with Eris about her ship. Get home safe.”

We all headed back toward the Hull Breach to call our ships to head home. As we got up to the Transmat zone, I saw Maverick run off into a little crevice. I followed him, mostly to make sure he didn’t get himself killed. This place was crawling with Hive still.

“Whatcha got there Mav?” I asked him when he stood and turned around.

“Oh you know a small souvenir for home" He said and waved a small piece of something in front of me.

"Yeah… okay sure.” I let it slide as we walked back up to the trasmat zone, but my voice was obviously cynical.

We all got in our respective ships. I collapsed in my chair and pulled off my helmet. “Ugh, I still smell like Hive,” I complained to my Ghost.

“Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?”

I paused for a moment and sighed. “It’s just… what Maverick said back there. That’s all. I can’t stop thinking about what he said, that he thought he killed Crota. He said that his team failed and that was why he lost them. I don’t know…”

“Don’t worry about it, Guardian,” my Ghost said. “I’m sure it was just a slip of the lip or something.

The private channel lit up and Maverick started talking as we entered slipspace back to the Tower. "Good shit guys, now let’s go home and take a much needed break.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Skinner said.

“I just want to shower,” I said disdainfully. “I smell like Hive from that stupid ship.”

Maverick and Skinner both laughed loudly. “Yeah, I think we all do,” Maverick said. “But at least you two can do something about it.”

We all exited the channel as we got into range of the City. We landed in the Tower and were greeted by Cayde.

“There’s my favorite Guardians!” He exclaimed as we gathered. “Now that we have other Guardians landing, we can do a little more to find out about the Skyburners that crashed into the Dreadnaught and how to take down Oryx. Zavala agreed to let you guys get a few days off since you just risked more than your lives to do this for me. Now, I have to hide before Eris kills me for letting her ship get destroyed. Bye!” He waved off and started to run away. 

We started to walk back up to the Tower plaza, and Skinner wrapped an arm around each of our shoulders. “Look at us, getting ready to kill a Hive God. It feels great to be back in the field again.”

“Yes, it does,” I agreed and pulled Skinner’s arm from around me. 

“I’m going drinking tonight, who wants to come with me?” Skinner had an excited look on his face like a kid in a candy store.

“I’ll pass,” Maverick said.

“Same here. I’ve got a painting to finish up and some pent up aggression to let out on the annoying white walls of my new place.”

“Okay, I get it, no one wants to get drunk with me.” Skinner waved off and took the elevator down to the City, and closed the doors before we could get inside.

Maverick and I stood side by side now, and the silence between us was a little tense. I shifted a bit uncomfortably. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked me quietly.

“It’s nothing,” I said in a soft voice. “I just… can’t stop thinking about what you said about Crota. You told me you and your team failed, so wouldn’t that mean he’s alive?”

Maverick sighed. “Yes. We did get to battle him. That’s how I knew we had to use the sword. But… it’s complicated, okay?”

I laughed softly. “I understand complicated, don’t worry.”

I started to walk away, but Maverick grabbed onto me. I stopped and turned to face him. His crimson eyes stared into mine and his mouth was opened a bit like he wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out. “Genny…”

“Yes?”

“How would you feel about going away from here for a few days?”

I stared at him in both shock and disbelief. I could feel my cheeks warming with blush. “I’m sorry?”

“Do you want to get away from the Tower and the City for a few days? With me?” His voice shook for a moment like he was trying to get the words out right. Was a senior Guardian really asking me to go out on a date with him and just disappear for a few days together?

I blinked a couple of times and smiled softly. “Of course,” I said quietly. “I’d love to.”

His entire composure relaxed and his grip on my arm loosened. “Good. Meet me in the hanger tomorrow morning. I’ll let you go and get whatever you want done.”

“But… Where are we going?” I asked before he could walk away. 

He turned back to me and grinned. “Venus.”

I smiled wide. He and I both loved Venus for different reasons. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

I took the elevator down to the Last City and walked home. The moment I walked inside I stripped off my armor and took a nice long hot shower until I couldn’t smell Hive on my hair. I pulled on some loose fitting clothes and sat down at my easel. My painting of Maverick was almost finished, so I called in an order for some spicy ramen from the shop down the road, then sat down and got to work.

About twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I set down my brush and wiped my hands on my paint-stained pants to clean them off. I opened the door, money in hand, but it wasn’t the delivery guy. 

“Maverick!” I exclaimed and my cheeks instantly flushed. I was in a paint stained white shirt and gray sweats, and I could feel the paint that ended up on my cheek and forehead. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”

“Well, I tried to reach you, but your communications must be off.”

I shrugged. “I asked my Ghost to block out all calls, I didn’t want to be distracted.”

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized. An awkward silence fell between us for a moment. “Um… can I come in?”

“Oh! Of course! Sorry, I was waiting for food to get here when you knocked and now everything feels super awkward.”

I let Maverick in, and I could feel my face heating up quickly. I knew he was going to see the painting and my brain was going into panic mode as I closed the door. “Ghost,” I whispered quietly through my teeth. “Why didn’t you tell me he was trying to call me?!”

She just stared at me. “You said you didn’t want to be bothered by anyone!”

“Yes! Exactly! Maverick tends to show up if I don’t answer or call him back! Ugh, forget it.”

I followed Maverick into the living room and sure enough, she was standing in front of the easel, staring at the painting. I bit the inside of my cheek as he turned to look at me, and ducked my head down to hide my flushed face.

“You…. You’ve been painting me?” He asked quietly.

I shifted a bit uncomfortably and pulled the neckline of my shirt back over my shoulder. “Yes, but… I didn’t want you to just find out about it…”

“Storm…”

Just then the doorbell rang and I held up my hands. “Hold that thought, my food is actually here now.” I turned and made a beeline for the door faster than I’ve run away from hoards of Thrall. This embarrassment was worse than being chased by an angry Ogre. I paid the man and took my ramen into the kitchen. I set everything down on the counter, but before I could reach for a bowl Maverick appeared behind me and gently turned me around to face him. I was still blushing madly and I looked away from him. He knows me better, so he caught my chin and made me look at him again. 

“Storm… I like it,” he said quietly as he brushed some of my silver white hair out of my face. “I’m not mad or anything like that.”

“I-I know,” I stuttered quietly. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against his hand. “I just… I wanted to show you once it was completed.”

Maverick placed his hands on my hips and lifted me up until I was sitting on the countertop. Our faces were level with each other now and he ran a hand through the back of my hair. “Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “I still want to see it when it’s done.”

“Mav…”

“Don’t speak.”

“Why are you here?”

He paused a moment and gazed down. “Let’s just say Zavala called a meeting with me after you left and I hate sitting in debriefings.”

I smiled a bit and held his face in my hands. “Well, you are always welcome here.”

“Good.”

Before I could respond to him, he grabbed onto my wrist so I wasn’t holding his face anymore, leaned in and kissed me. I stiffened for a short moment out of surprise, but then melted into him, like ice into fire. His kiss was warm and gentle, compared to his grip on my sides, which was like iron. As if he was scared that if he let me go then I would slip away.

When we parted, I placed my hand on his chest. “Mav…” I whispered softly. “I am not going anywhere.”

“Thank you.”

“But I would like to eat something before I keel over from starvation because I am fucking hungry.”

He laughed aloud and helped me down from the counter. “Okay, I get it. I’ll leave you be now. See you in the morning, Storm.”


	19. Secret Escape

When I woke the next morning, the sun was barely shining over the city’s skyline. My bedroom was filled with a gentle glow of the rising sun. I yawned aloud and stretched my arms over my head.

“Good morning, _peu de lumière_ ,” I said and my Ghost came flying into the room and hovered in front of my face.

“Good morning, Genesis, I already started your coffee,” she said.

I smiled and gently rubbed the top of her shell. “Thank you,” I said and stood up. “Any messages overnight?” I asked.

“Well…” she paused a moment and followed me into the kitchen. “There’s a message from Ikora, approving your trip for the next few days. There’s a notice from the postmaster that your mission report was delivered last night. And a message from Maverick about an hour ago… he’s going to stop by around 7 this morning to pick you up for your trip. And that’s about it.”

“Thank you,” I said as I picked up my mug and sat down at the kitchen table. I sipped on my coffee and read the morning news for the City. Shortly after I finished my cup I stood and started to get ready. It was right around 6:30, so Maverick was going to be here soon. I pulled on the leggings and skin tight shirt that I wore under my armor when there was a knock at the door. “ _Peu de lumière_ , I’m sure that’s Maverick, can you let him in and tell him I’ll be down momentarily.”

“Okay,” she said then flew downstairs. I pulled on a different set of armor from yesterday, since that armor still smelled like Hive. I pulled on my Apex Harmonic set, but settled for my Sunbracers instead of the normal gauntlets. I heard Maverick coming upstairs, and my Ghost screaming after him. 

“ _C’est d’accord, peu de lumière, je suis vêtu*_ ,” I reassured, and turned to Maverick when he stood in my bedroom door. “You really should listen to my Ghost, Mav. Usually her words are coming straight from me.”

Maverick leaned against the door frame and shrugged. “Eh, where’s the fun in that? Besides, I like catching you off guard. You get all flushed and adorable.”

I looked away immediately to hide my face. That alone made my cheeks warm and a smile come to my lips. I took a deep breath and continued to collect myself. “So, what’s the plan Maverick? Or is everything about this trip to Venus going to be a surprise?”

“What, surprises are nice, right?”

“Most definitely, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what’s going on.”

He sighed and caved. “Alright, I’m taking you to a place not much of the Vanguard knows about. Only Cayde knows I go there. But that’s all I can tell you.”

I chuckled and slung my sniper over my shoulder, holstered my hand cannon, and slid my sword into place on my back. “When do we fly out?”

“We can head out whenever you’re ready. My ship’s waiting in orbit.”

I turned and smiled at him. “You had everything planned, didn’t you?”

The red glow behind his mouth glowed brighter, a sign that he was smiling. “Maybe.”

I smiled and stood across from him. “Did you go to your debriefing with Zavala? You have to go before we leave.”

Maverick groaned and covered my mouth. “Don’t talk about it. The longer I can keep Mister Blue waiting, the better. It’s hilarious when he gets frustrated, because then he just gives you the short version and leaves you alone.”

I laughed and pushed his hand away. “Alright, fine. I’m ready to go, if you are.”

“Good.” He handed me a small electronic card with the transmat link codes for his ship. “Give that to your Ghost. I’ll see you up there.” Then he pulled out his Ghost, and disappeared from my house.

“Genesis?” My Ghost came and hovered in front of my face. “Are you alright.”

I didn’t realize until now that I was blushing like a maniac and I felt frozen in place. “Fuck, I must be crazy, but it feels like he just gets hotter and hotter every time I see him.”

“You’re insane and should probably start seeing a doctor.”

I laughed and gave the transmat codes to my Ghost then gently rubbed her shell. “Oh, _peu de lumière_ , that’s why I have you.”

My Ghost sighed and transmatted me up to Maverick’s ship. I walked from the bay to the cockpit, and took a seat in the co-pilot chair.

I didn’t have my helmet on yet when I sat down next to Maverick, so when I turned I caught him staring at me. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he said quickly and turned away. “Just taking a moment to admire you. Can’t help it sometimes.”

My cheeks flushed, once again, and I smiled, but kept quiet. I pulled on my helmet and took hold of the co-pilot controls. “I can’t help but think of you, too. Your eyes… they’re haunting and yet… magnificent…” 

I looked over at him as he set a course for Venus, and he looked at me. “Is that all?”

“Oh, of course not, but I’m not going to hopelessly embarrass myself by turning into a blushing mess.”

He laughed loudly and turned back to the front as we slid into slip space. “Oh that _would_ be a sight to see.”

I was already a blushing mess beneath my helmet. We flew to Venus in under an hour, and when we landed, Maverick summoned his Sparrow and looked at me. “Hop on,” he said.

I looked at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?” I asked him.

“Does it look like I’m kidding?” He looked back at me as he took a seat. “Hop on.”

I crossed my arms and stared at him, wondering if I should. Not only was it a dangerous risk since most sparrows weren’t equipped to carry two passengers, but it was raining, though that wasn’t uncommon for Venus.

“Don’t do it,” my Ghost said. “Don’t get in over your head.”

“I was in over my head when I gave you those transmat codes,” I said to her, dropped my arms, and sat behind Maverick on the Sparrow. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, and he took off towards the Academy. It was rare that I got to view Venus like this, so I leaned my head on his back and gazed out over the landscape. Venus was beautiful. The Ishtar Academy was a sight to see too, and whenever I had a chance, I occasionally snagged a book from the Library and brought it home to read. We passed by the Shattered Coast and were riding along the Cliffs when Maverick slowed to a stop. 

“See over there? The volcanoes?” He asked, and pointed out towards the volcanoes with blue lava that crept over the sides and down the hills.

“Yeah?”

“I know a place where we can get closer. You in?”

“Of course!”

He chuckled and pulled off towards the Waking Ruins. We passed by some Vex on the way and easily avoided their fire, but for fun and games I tossed a fusion grenade at a Minotaur, and it stuck right on its eye. I laughed aloud and wrapped my arms tight around Maverick again. He drove us all the way through Campus 9.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“You’ll see, just hang on, it’s gonna get rough pretty soon.”

I nodded and hugged him tighter. We drove past the Endless Steps, past anywhere on any Vanguard map. The road definitely did get bumpy, but his sparrow was so stable and secure I wasn’t even scared of being thrown off. He slowed down right before we reached a cliff and took a sharp left turn, scattering some rocks over the edge of the cliff.

“Whoa!” I shouted and hugged tightly onto Maverick.

“Hold on, we’re almost there,” he assured me, he let go of one of the throttles and squeezed my hand before pulling us ahead. He drove us down a narrow path down the side of the cliff, and finally, to this little base in front of a cave that had the perfect view of the volcanoes. Maverick stopped driving and sat up, prompting me to let him go. He stood off of the Sparrow, then held a hand out for me. I took his hand and stood, and shortly after my feet were planted on the ground, his Sparrow disappeared. I looked around and walked forward a bit. This little place was so secluded, no one would find it unless they knew where they were going.

“How did you find this place?” I asked and turned to Maverick. The cave was covered by wood panels, surely ones that he built, making a door and protecting the inside from the weather.

“I kind of did the same thing you did after my fireteam was killed. I ran away from the Vanguard for a while. And I found this place.” He crossed his arms and looked out over the land, gazing at the volcanoes that spat out their blue lava. I went and stood next to him, and gently laced my arm with his. “C’mon, I’ll take you inside. I had my Ghost set wards so that you can take your helmet off and breathe comfortably inside.”

Maverick led me inside and closed the door behind him. It was dark, but he walked around and lit small lanterns that were inside. The room filled with a warm golden glow. 

“You made this all yourself?” I asked and looked around. There was a cot and a table with two chairs, but not much else. “It’s… it’s almost homey. The seclusion…”

“I know,” he said. “I needed it at the time. And now it’s a good place to get away to when the Vanguard is trying to get on my ass.” 

I laughed softly and nodded. “I get that. I always go to France or Venus. Either one is good enough for me. But Venus always holds a special place in my heart.”

Maverick nodded and pulled off his helmet, and I pulled off mine. I took a seat on one of the chairs, and Maverick sat across from me. “Okay,” I said and looked over at Maverick. “I have to ask. What Sparrow do you have? I mean, it had no problem carrying two passengers and didn’t even lose any speed.”

“Timebreaker,” he said, nonchalant. “Found the schematic for it in the Vault of Glass. Best Sparrow I’ve ever had Amanda build for me.”

“Can I have it?” I asked jokingly.

“Ha! Over my dead body.”

I laughed and stood, and walked over to the cot and collapsed down on top of it. I studied the stone ceilings. “You know… I could paint a mural of our meeting on this ceiling.” I waved Maverick over; he walked over to me and laid down beside me on the cot. I started pointing out different areas of the ceiling. “The Vault over here… then we would be over here, maybe side by side fighting that Minotaur right over… there.” I looked over at him expectantly, a wide and excited smile on my lips.

Maverick was quiet for a moment, then turned his head and met my gaze. “Or you could do something a little more abstract. Just you and me, no battles needed.”

“Why?”

He paused a moment before responding. “This is a place I go to in order to get away from fighting and battlefields, to clear my head.”

“Ah, I see.” I drummed my fingers on my stomach and chewed the inside of my cheek. “Well… I could draw somethings up. Might take me awhile. Abstract isn’t really my expertise.”

“I’d love to see what you come up with.”

Silence fell between us. Maverick and I were laying side by side. After a few moments of silence. I rolled on my side and nestled against him, resting my head on his arm. He responded by turning on his side and he pulled my body close to him. We cuddled in silence, my head tucked against his chest, his hand gently yet firmly placed on my waist. I yawned and nestled against him.

“Are you tired?” He asked quietly. I gave him a small nod. “Go ahead and rest. That’s the point of this little getaway.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with it? I would hate to fall asleep in case anything happens. I’m only tired because I stayed up most of the night painting…”

His mouth pressed against my forehead and I felt a small spark scatter across my skin. I shivered and he pulled me closer. “Go to sleep, Genny,” he said. “We’ll be just fine.”

I sighed and nodded. I started to slip off into sleep, but was disturbed when Maverick started moving. I grabbed onto his armor because I thought he was going to leave, and I heard him chuckle quietly, then pulled a blanket over the two of us. “Shh… I’m not going anywhere. It just gets chilly when night falls on Venus.”

“I know…” I mumbled and nestled closer to his chest. The blanket was warm, heavy, and a comforting feeling.

His fingers traced the outline of my face and I couldn’t help the gentle smile that came to my lips. “You… you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Genny,” Maverick said quietly.

I opened my eyes a bit and looked up at him. There was a smile on my lips but I felt loopy and overjoyed at the same time. “Really?” I asked.

He smiled and gently cupped my cheek in his hand. “Truly.”

My smile grew warmer. “And you are the best thing that’s happened to me, Maverick. _Mon amour_.” 

“Moan-a… what?”

I giggled like a giddy child being handed a new toy. “ _Mon amour_ … It means ‘my love’.”

He gazed down at me and sighed softly. “My love… that’s a title I’m going to have to get used to.” His thumb traced along my cheekbone. “Still… I think it’s the only title I’m willing to have.”

“Oh?” I asked curiously. “What other fancy titles does the mysterious Maverick-7 have?” His expression changed quickly, almost like he was closing off. My eyes widened and I held his face in my hands. “No, no, no, I’m sorry I asked! I can tell you don’t want to talk about it so I won’t ask, I meant it only as I joke I swear! _Oh mon dieu je vous ai contrarié s'il vous plaît ne pensez pas à ce sujet, oubliez j'ai demandé!**_ ”

“Genesis, Genny!” Maverick snapped and held my face in his hands. I stared at him with wide eyes still, but I stopped talking. “It’s okay. It’s just not something I like to think about. It’s not your fault.”

I took a few deep breaths, but I could feel my cheeks flushing. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to pry… mmph!” I could have continued apologizing, but Maverick pressed his mouth against mine in a kiss before I could speak. I longed for this more than anything, but man, did it get more intense every time. I pressed closer up against him and Maverick wrapped his arms tightly around me. I know it was crazy, considering our differences, but the kisses I shared with Maverick were different and much more intense than any I have distant memory of kissing men from my previous life. They were electric, hot, and made my skin tingle and my face heat. 

When we finally separated, Maverick had pulled me so close his hand was on the back of my thighs and my leg was pulled over his. We were pressed so close to each other. I looked at him and his eyes finally flickered open. 

“Mav…” I whispered quietly, my voice airy and almost raspy. I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I didn’t even get a chance to say.

“I know,” he mumbled back. He rolled onto his back and pulled me on top of him, I braced my hand on the pillow by his head.

 _Genesis…_ My Ghost was speaking to me in the back of my head. _Be careful now. Don’t do anything stupid_.

My Ghost was right this time. Things were getting hot, and I don’t think either of us could afford for the Vanguard to even get a whiff of a rumor of what could happen if we continued. I leaned down and kissed Maverick again, and then lowered myself onto his chest. He laced his hands in my hair and played with my silver locks. I cuddled against his chest and closed my eyes. I fell asleep to the gentle motions of his hands running through my hair.

I woke up to an empty bed. I yawned and sat up, and looked around. “Mav…?” I said softly. I pulled the blanket aside and stood. Out of normal anxiety, I grabbed a hold of my sword and looked around. “Mav, are you there?” 

“Out here!” Maverick shouted. I lowered my weapon and pushed the door open. He was sitting outside against the wall. I grabbed my helmet and pulled it on, and then went and sat outside beside him. 

“Everything okay?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just don’t sleep often.” 

“I understand. I know I usually require it, but I think the longest I’ve gone without sleep was…”

“Eleven days,” my Ghost piped in.

“Yeah, eleven days. Not the best idea, but I just… wasn’t tired.”

“Let me guess…” Maverick started to ponder. “It was shortly after your Ghost woke you up?”

I nodded and smiled. “Yeah. Something like that. I never really felt tired after that. Now that I’m acclimated, I can sleep just fine.”

“Well… you know, I’m an Exo, so technically I don’t need sleep. Do I still sleep? On occasion, yes. I do. But it’s rare and hard for me to even begin to try to sleep.”

I folded my legs to the side and leaned beside him. “Well… if you ever need to sleep, I’m always here to keep you company.”

“Thank you, Angel,” Maverick said quietly.

I perked up and looked at him curiously. “Angel? Where did that come from?”

He looked over at me, a gentle look in his eyes. “When we first met, when you were in your Radiance… well, you left an impression, to say the least. You looked like an angel.”

I was blushing as he explained his reasoning. “ _Mon chérie,_ ” I murmured softly.

“And what does that mean?”

“My sweetheart.”

His gaze softened and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him. “How do you say ‘my angel’ in French, I’m curious.”

I smiled. “ _Mon ange_.”

“ _Mon ange_ … I like that, but I think I’ll stick with Angel.”

I nodded and cuddled against his side. “Alright.”

We stayed sitting outside that cave and watched the volcanoes spit their blue lava and watched the sky turn from yellow and sunny to blue and covered with clouds. Venus was our safe place, somewhere we could get away from the Vanguard and the regulations. We spent the next two days in each other’s company. I drew up a few sketches for Maverick concerning the mural for the roof of the cave. He liked all of them, so he wanted me to decide which one got the pick of them all. I chose the sketch of the galaxies and stars, with constellations of a Stormcaller and a Sunbreaker etched into the mix. I kept another sketch for a painting I could do back home of the two of us. A Sunbreaker and a Sunsinger. Maverick with his hammers, me with my grenades. 

But like all good things, they ended too soon and before I knew it, we were flying back to the Tower.

— translations —

* “It’s okay, little light, I am dressed.”  
** “Oh god I have upset you please do not think about it, forget I asked!”


	20. Enemy of My Enemy

“That was a nice change,” I said. I looked over at Maverick in the pilot seat with a smile pulling at the corner of my lips. We were just re-entering the Tower’s airspace. 

“I know, we should do this more often,” Maverick replied. His Ghost started to request a landing pad and gave out his Guardian’s ship ID.

As we landed in the Hanger and before we could even leave the ship, we saw Zavala come storming over from across the landing pad. I sighed heavily and followed Maverick down the stairs. “Oh boy, here we go,” I mumbled quietly. I pulled my helmet off and carried it in my left hand.

“Where have you two been?!” Zavala demanded. “I wanted a debriefing of your mission when you got back. But instead you take off to wherever you went! Tell me what happened on that Dreadnaught, Maverick-8.”

I could feel his body tensing up beside me and the frustration oozing out of his every pore. “Well,” Mav began, “first off, that was rude. But if you must know, we almost died before we even set foot on that ship, but we didn’t and now you have a transmat zone on there. Good enough?”

“And we got approval from Ikora to go to Venus for a couple of days,” I added. “You could have asked your fellow Vanguard where we were.”

Zavala glanced at me and then turned back to Maverick. “Seeming how you _still_ don’t like me, your report is sufficient enough. Tomorrow I want your team to report to me, we still have to find Oryx.” The Vanguard turned around and walked away.

I turned to Mav with eyebrows raised. “You two _still_ don’t like each other?”

“Nope and we probably never will,” he said with a hefty sigh.

“You can’t hold a grudge toward him forever Mav. He’s still the Vanguard Commander.”

“Yeah good for him, unless he gives me a damn good reason for me to forgive him, I’ll continue to despise him.”

“Alright, alright forget I said anything.” We started walking out of the Hanger.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going home. Care to join me, Storm?”

“No I think I’ll head back to my place and start a new mural,” I said to him with a smile. “But I will see you tomorrow, Mav, that’s a promise.”

We walked out of the Hanger and down an elevator together. When we reached the bottom we waved to each other and went off on our own ways. But before he could walk away from me, I pressed a kiss on his mandible.

When I was back in my apartment, I shedded off my armor and pulled on my painting clothes, gray sweats and a paint stained shirt. “What are you going to be working on now? You finished Maverick’s painting.”

“Well, _peu de lumiere_ , I was thinking about starting a landscape mural. Of where we went on Venus. Those volcanoes that spat out vibrant blue lava, the trees… and something about Vex architecture is absolutely fascinating.” I picked up my paints and started mixing some colors on my palette. “So maybe it’s the view we had when we were sitting outside together for hours on end, in each other’s company and in total silence.”

“Ah so like the painting you did of you, Gilly, and Adam on Mars?”

“Exactly like that. Just a glimpse of the moment of peace.”

“Well, I’ll start a pot of coffee while you get started.”

* * *

The next day, Maverick, Skinner, and I stood before Zavala. Maverick was still tense from the day before and Skinner was hungover. I was tired from staying up so late painting.

Zavala set down the briefing report on the table and turned to all of us. “So in short you’re going up there to see what intelligence the Cabal have gathered, and get out unless told otherwise. Questions?” 

“Yeah just one, what do we do if we find out if they know where he is?” Maverick asked.

“Then we’ll go to him and stop him there and then. Anymore questions?” None of us responded, so Maverick shook his head and declined.

“Alright then, Guardians, get to your ships and head for the Dreadnaught,” he said as he waved us out the door.

We launched into Earth’s orbit and hovered for a couple minutes while we set our course, then Maverick came over the private channel. “Alright guys this should be a simple intel retrieval mission. Hopefully in and out in about 15-20 minutes.”

“Oh good I was hoping for a short mission today. I’m still hungover from last night at the bar.” Skinner commented.

“A little overboard with the Lights Out again Skinner?“ Maverick asked.

“Well with you two out on your little date, yeah, I did. Doesn’t leave me with much else to do.”

“Well, maybe if you socialized with other Guardians, you could find a drinking buddy of your own,” I said with a laugh.

“Alright that’s enough, you two. Both of you fall into formation for slip space. And when we get there, one at a time for transmat onto the Dreadnaught. We don’t need to fit three people in one jump ship for the trip home.”

* * *

As we transmat onto the Dreadnaught the Vanguard channel lit up with activity. “Oryx could be anywhere on the Dreadnaught,” Zavala said. “With time we could find him but we don’t have time. The Cabal have been there long enough to have some real field intelligence. The path to Oryx lies in their ship.”

“The Hive and Cabal are going at it again,” I observed. They were fighting each other still in front of the crashed ship.

“The Cabal are still holding against the Hive, Zavala,” Mav relayed to the Commander. 

“Survival is a temporary condition. Cut through them, and get inside that ship.”

“Who fights this hard to protect a crashed ship?” Skinner asked.

“That’s not a crashed ship, it’s a beachhead. Only way those doors will open is to send out reinforcements. Draw them out.”

“So we need to kill some Cabal? Easy, let’s go kill some space rhinos,” Maverick said, then motioned for us to follow him onto the field of battle.

We cut through some Hive and reached the Cabal. We cut through the Cabal with brutal efficiency to get them to open up the door. One of them must have called for reinforcements because an alarm began to blare and the doors started to slide open.

“I think we got their attention,” I said.

“Good, let’s fight through them.”

“Cabal protocol is to detonate any ship that crashes. If they haven’t after all this time it could be a base of operations. They’re looking for something on the Dreadnaught. See what they know about Oryx.”

We began to move through the ship. It was awfully convenient that the door we went through was around the engine room.

“I’m detecting a terminal nearby it probably as what we’re looking for Mav,” Maverick’s Ghost relayed.

“Good, let’s head that way.”

We fought through more Cabal and reached the terminal rather quickly. Maverick ran up to it and deployed his Ghost, who began to download intel the terminal’s database. Skinner and I held fast to our weapons, watching Maverick’s back.

“The Cabal have located Oryx. He’s protected in the center of the Dreadnaught, reachable through only something they call ‘a rupture’…”

“Must be some kind of portal,” Zavala said quietly. “And the Cabal found one?”

“They have a team headed for it right now.”

“Then I suggest you get there first, Fireteam.”

“The quickest way to them is up this hall.” Maverick’s Ghost opened the door and flew towards it, ready to lead the way.

“Alright let’s go and kill us a Hive God,” Skinner said, perhaps with a bit more enthusiasm than what was necessary.

We reached a bulkhead door and Mav just slammed on a button and it began to open. I rolled my eyes. _It’s never that simple_ , I thought. As thick metal doors slid apart, some Thrall ran out of some side hallways, down toward the fighting. 

“We found the Cabal team headed for the rupture. They’re outnumbered by Taken,” Maverick reported. 

“Forget what they say about ‘the enemy of my enemy’. If something stands between you and the rupture put it down,” Zavala commanded, his tone was cold.

“So are we going to kill them all?” I asked. I didn’t like the idea of taking on two forces of different enemies at the same time. Too many risks, too many variables, too many ways to die.

“No, just the Taken. But if the Cabal shoot at you, kill ‘em.”

And we head down to the fighting, killing Taken and Cabal alike. We split up originally, but every now and then we would run into each other and fight together before splitting off again.

“Those Cabal won’t last much longer,” I said over the channel. And sure enough they backed their leader to a ledge. Out of nowhere, Oryx just reached out and… took their leader. I stared in horror. If he could take a Centurion so easily, why was he letting this fight go on for so long?

“Oryx just recruited a Centurion,” Maverick reported to Zavala.

“Let him take all he wants. He won’t be around long enough for it to matter.” 

I turned to Skinner and Maverick. “If that Hive God is allowed to just take as he pleases, there will be an army for us to go against.” 

“I know,” Maverick reassured me. “So let’s finish this.”

We finished off any stragglers that remained to continue fighting and headed for two arches standing on their own platform.

“That must be the rupture.”

“Eris what’s their next move?” Zavala said.

“Toland spoke of statues the Hive used to navigate ruptures.”

“We’ll look for them. Guys let’s split up and find them.”

Skinner found one first and then I found the second. Maverick found the third.

“These statues are dead, Genesis,” my Ghost said. “But something is happening to the rupture.” I turned around and joined Skinner and Maverick on the platform. We stood with our guns ready and slowly approached. When we got within 5 meters of it, the portal jumped to life and Thrall began to pour out of it, screeching and running directly towards us.

“The Thrall will smother your light!” Eris yelled. “Do not underestimate them like Tarlow did!”

We gunned them down in a classic firing line type of way. But they just kept coming. They were endless.

“Forget about the Thrall! Get through that portal!” Zavala yelled.

We all jumped toward the portal but it pushed us back. I could feel the magic tingling on my skin. It was foreign and almost made me weak. I jumped back to Maverick and Skinner, and Maverick caught my arm when I almost fell over. 

“Storm, you alright?”

“That magic is dark… it oozes of death and chaos,” I said to him quietly. He just looked at me, then started shooting the Thrall that were coming too close.

“I don’t think we’re going that way,” Mav said over the Vanguard channel.

“Then it’s true, only Ascendent can will a rupture to open,” Eris said.

“Umm… There’s something Ascendent passing through right now,” Skinner said. Even he sounded alarmed, which was saying something. Nothing surprised or scared Skinner. Taken started to push through the rupture, along with an Echo of Oryx. It raised it’s hand and began to fire some kind of magic at us, but Maverick cast his Ward of Dawn to protect us.

“Shit,” I said and stood with my fusion rifle ready. “I really fucking hate those things.”

“So do we Storm,” Mav said.

“So what’s the plan Mav?”

“Well this Ward won’t last long so let’s run out the back and take up positions over there and there.” He pointed to a pillar and some ruble.

“Sounds good to me let’s go,” Skinner said.

We ran out of the Ward before it disappeared and headed to the areas Maverick pointed out. I took shelter behind my pillar, holding fast to my gun. I could feel it’s magic banging against the other side. He knew exactly where I was. Maverick waved Skinner to take a shot at the Echo, so he used his Golden Gun and blasted the Echo in the head. It turned away from my pillar toward Skinner and began to fire it’s magic at him. Then Maverick jumped out of cover and unloaded a magazine into it. It roared in pain and looked at him, then fired as he dove back into cover. 

I looked over at Maverick in panic and fear. His entire left arm was missing. I wanted to move out from cover and go to him, but he held up his good arm and shook his head. His Ghost came out and worked a little magic, then he was good as new. I gave a small sigh of relief, but I was angry, and I could tell Maverick was equally pissed off. He motioned for us to follow his lead and he pulled out his Gjallarhorn. Skinner got all giddy, started to laugh, and pulled out his Ash Factory. He looked at me and I nodded, and proceeded to pull out my One Way Ticket 000.

“On three we jump out and fire together, got it?” 

“Anything to send it back to wherever it came from,” I said coldly.

“One, Two, Three!” He yelled and we jumped out and we all fired our rockets directly at it. The Echo roared in pain and began to melt; it returned to wherever it was spawned from. The rupture closed behind it.

“Gah, the rupture closed,” Maverick grumbled.

“It will only open for Ascendent Hive.” Eris declared.

“Then how do we get to Oryx?”

We’ll sort this out, fireteam,” Zavala concluded. “Head back to the tower when you can. And no detours Maverick-8.”

“Bite me, Commander,” he snapped back. Zavala gave a heavy sigh and closed the Vanguard channel.

“So are you two going to disappear again or, can I actually come with you guys this time?” Skinner inquired.

“Sorry, Skinner,” Mav apologized as we transmatted back to our ships. “Maybe next time.”

I opened up a channel with Maverick once we fell into formation and entered slip space. “So I take it you’re not listening to Zavala.”

“Eh, I’ll give him a debriefing before I go this time. Do you think you could spare a little time to come with me somewhere?”

“Of course. I always have time for you.”

“Good. Wait for me in the Hanger and I’ll meet you back there after.”

“Where are we going this time?”

“It’s a surprise, little Angel,” he chuckled. “A treat from me.”


	21. Secrets in Motor City

We all landed and I waved Maverick and Skinner off. Maverick was going to the Hall of Guardians, Skinner said he wanted to go play some Crucible, so he was going to see Shaxx and grab some bounties. I leaned against the wall and had my Ghost play some music from records and tracks I had found in the EDZ’s London District through my helmet. I must have waited for nearly 10 minutes.

Out of nowhere, Maverick wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I jumped a bit and shut off the music. “Jeez, you startled me.”

He chuckled. “C’mon, let’s get going. We don’t have to go far.”

We boarded his ship and I took a seat in the co-pilot seat. “So, where are we going?” I asked curiously as Maverick flew us out of the Hanger, but we didn’t go into orbit. He started going west.

“Have you ever been to the American Cosmodrome?” He asked me. 

I shook my head.

“Well, then you are in for a treat, little Angel.”

Our flight wasn’t long, maybe an hour, and when we landed, we were surrounded by buildings in different stages of overgrowth, decay, and demolition. “Where are we?” I asked Maverick curiously. 

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at me. “We are in Detroit, Michigan, or what’s left of it. Motor City.”

“I… don’t follow.”

“Back before and during the Golden Age, Detroit was the center of America’s auto industry. This has been one of my favorite places. Cars are a fascination and passion of mine.”

“I noticed that when I went to your apartment for the first time.”

“So!” He clapped his hands together and turned to me. “Are you ready to know why you’re here with me?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “ _Mon chérie_ , I’ve been dying to know why since we landed!”

He grinned and summoned his sparrow. “Then hop on, Angel.”

I smiled back and hopped on the back of his sparrow. I wrapped my arms securely around his waist. “You know, if people keep seeing us together like this, the Vanguard is going to get suspicious.”

“So let big blue get his panties in a knot. The Vanguard thinks they have control over us Guardians, but honestly? They really don’t.”

“It’s not Zavala I’m worried about,” I said quietly when he started to drive us through the city streets. “It’s Ikora.”

“Ah. Mom. I’m sure she’ll scold, but not stop us.”

I sighed softly and shook my head. “It’s her rage that I’m scared of.”

We rode through the streets and I gazed at the buildings. The architecture was amazing. Maverick turned a sharp corner and we came to a stop. He slid off, then outstretched his hand to me. I took it gladly and he helped me off his sparrow. Maverick led me inside a gigantic building. “What is this place?” I asked. It was one of the few buildings still in working shape. Most of the glass was blown out, but otherwise it was in good condition.

“This is the old GM World Headquarters. The center of the auto industry.”

“I don’t think cars were ever my interest, but I loved looking at pictures of history. There were definitely some nice ones before we entered the Golden age with Sparrows and Jump Ships.”

“I agree, but I’m more of a fan of the cars themselves. Restoring them, building them, even models.” 

“So… why are we here?” I asked quietly. He smiled and led me inside. Most of the cars were in bad shape, since the glass ceiling had fallen in so long ago and exposed the cars to the elements. “It’s a shame,” I murmured softly. “They must have been works of art in their time.”

“They were,” Maverick said almost sadly. He let go of my hand and turned to me. “Close your eyes,” his voice as soft and murmurous as a hummingbird’s wings. It made my heart flutter. “And take your helmet off so I know they’re closed.”

“Why?”

“Just— _please_?”

“Okay, okay,” I digressed, and took off my helmet. I ran a hand through my hair and placed my helmet down on a nearby desk. I looked at Maverick and crossed my eyes, a half smile on my lips. Honestly, I wasn’t quite impressed by his little display.

“Storm, behave. Or am I going to have to blindfold you?”

I let out a small laugh, but before I even had a chance to say “no”, he came over to me, holding his Titan Mark, and wrapped it over my eyes. I couldn’t help but giggle. “Maverick, this really isn’t necessary.”

“Oh yes it is.” He was laughing as well. Once he secured the Mark around my head, his right hand placed on my lower back and led me forward. He took my hand with his left, gently guiding me forward. He opened up a sliding door, led me inside, and then let go of me. I could hear him walking around the room, then some moving fabric? He came back behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Are you ready?”

I nodded and smiled. Maverick started to remove the Mark from around my head, but covered my eyes with his hands. I giggled as he led me further into the room. “Maverick, what is this?”

“My treat to you, little Angel.”

He uncovered my eyes and I blinked a couple of times before I saw what was in front of me. I gasped and looked at the beautifully restored Corvette convertible in front of me. The paint was a marvelous crimson red. I walked up closer and peeked inside to examine the interior. “This… this is amazing! Did you restore this all by yourself?”

“Yep,” Maverick affirmed, and crossed his arms over his chest with a smile. “I take it you’re impressed?”

“Absolutely! What year is it, do you know? I’ve studied a lot of history, so I’m guessing… late 1960s?”

“1968 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible.” Maverick came over and popped the hood, allowing me to inspect what was underneath. So many of the parts looked brand new. Even the engine block was carefully inspected and cared for. 

“How long were you working on her?” I inquired.

“About a year and a half. Finally finished her up a week ago.”

“Really? Does she have a name?”

Maverick smiled and looked at me. “Storm.”

I could feel my face heating up with blush. I smiled meekly and looked down. “Wow… that’s a… that’s a nice name for her.”

“You wanna go for a ride, Angel?”

“ _Mon chérie_ , I couldn’t _imagine_ doing anything else right now.”

Maverick walked over to the wall and pushed a couple of buttons. One opened the garage door behind him, and the other turned the panel on the floor, turning the Corvette around to face the open door. I grinned and walked around the front, opened the door, and hopped into the passenger seat. Maverick got into the driver’s seat and pulled a key out of the center console. 

“Are you ready?” He asked with a grin. I could feel my heart start racing and I started blushing. I could only give him a nod and an excited smile. He put the key in the ignition, and the Corvette hummed to life. I started giggling out of nervousness and excitement. Maverick nodded to me and then turned to the road, then hit the gas. I laughed as we launched forward and the car’s engine roared with it’s horsepower. I didn’t often ride around with my helmet off, and I forgot what it felt like to have the wind pulling through my hair. I closed my eyes and lifted my arms up above me, and laughed. I was giddy with excitement. 

“ _C’est magnifique*_!” I yelled and laughed. I looked over at Maverick with a wide smile. 

Maverick looked over at me and smiled, then turned back to the road and floored it. We went racing around the city, even attracting the attention of some of the House of Devils, but we were going by too fast for them to even try to get a bullet on us. We were pushing 225 km/hour by the time we reached a straight away. We must have driven around town for two hours, Maverick was showing me some of the highlights and monuments of the city. To be honest, I wasn’t very much paying attention. I was leaning against the door and gazing at the skyline. When we finally pulled back to the garage, the sun was setting and the sky burned with red, pink, purple, and gold. When we pulled into the garage, I leaned back in my seat and let out a sigh.

“You okay, Angel?” Maverick killed the engine and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m fine, I’m just… exhilarated,” I replied, a small laugh leaving my lips as I placed my hand over his. “Thank you so much for giving me this… this sense of freedom away from the Tower.”

Maverick smiled and gently pulled on my shoulder. I crawled across the seats and sat on his lap facing him. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he murmured softly.

I ran my hands through my knotted hair, gazed down at Maverick and smiled. “Do you know how happy you’ve made me? How much have you've… allowed me to feel like a normal person again?” I inquired softly.

“Do you have any idea how much you make me feel like I’m back in my old body? How much you make me feel human again?” He whispered quietly. 

My cheeks flushed with blush and I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck. “Maverick-7, you are the most human man I’ve ever met, despite your metal body. You’re compassionate, you’re empathetic, you don’t hide your emotions from me. Well, maybe a little.” I leaned my forehead against his. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved someone before. _Répondez-moi, répondez-moi à ma tendresse, peux-tu dire la même chose pour moi**_?”

Maverick paused a moment, as if he was processing my phrase, probably waiting for a translation. He placed his hands loosely on my waist, pulled me a little bit closer, and pressed his mouth piece against my lips. I let my eyes slide closed and I kissed him back, tenderly, gently, lovingly. When we parted, he looked up at me, his gaze lustful and smoldering. “ _Je fais***_ ,” he mumbled quietly.

I smiled at him using my native tongue. “When did you learn French?”

“I dunno… Lucky guess?”

I laughed softly and nestled my head against his shoulder and neck. “Yeah, right.”

Maverick wrapped his arms around me and held me close. His hand would occasionally run along my spine. There was silence between us, but here in the garage of the GM World Headquarters, in Motor City, I had never felt more at home.

— translations —

* “This is magnificent!”  
** “Answer me, answer me my love, can you say the same thing to me?”  
*** “I do.”


	22. Lost to Light

We returned to the Tower later that night. I had invited Maverick to my place for a cup of coffee. He declined, saying he wanted to check on Skinner. I nodded and let him go, and went home to my apartment to crash for a couple hours. Zavala wanted to meet with us for our next mission. The next morning, Skinner, Maverick, and I stood before Zavala, Cayde-6, Ikora, and Eris.

“So Guardians, I would like to speak to you before you leave for the Hellmouth. To retrieve a shard of Crota’s soul crystal.” Eris said.

“Sure, Eris, what is it?” Maverick asked.

“This is more for the Warlock as she doesn’t know who Crota is. It began with Crota. But Crota was only a servant of his father, sent to extinguish the last of the Light. The great battle fought for the soul of our world ended in slaughter. The son was dead. And we invited the wrath of Oryx, destroyer of light. Taker of will. Only Ascendent Hive move between Ruptures. To reach Oryx, you must walk in the dying footsteps of his son. You must become Ascendent.” 

_What did she mean that Crota was dead?_

“Alright if you’re done Eris we should get going.” Maverick said. 

She nodded and walked away. We left the Hall of Guardians and walked toward our ships.

“Alright so I hate that place so let’s get in and get out as soon as possible,” Maverick grunted once we got into orbit.

“I agree Mav, that place unsettles me.” Skinner added.

“But it’s not like we’re going down into the Pit right?” I asked.

“Yes, but still, I just hate the Hive and the Taken don’t help. Now fall into slip space formation you two.”

It was a very short jump from Earth to the Moon. Maverick decided to have us transmat onto a ledge, a little bit down inside the Hellmouth. As we dropped in, Eris’s voice came quietly over comms.

“Hold fast to Toland’s journal. It saw me through my time in the Dark.”

“Hold fast to your gun, Guardians.” Cayde interjected. “You’re headed back to the chamber where they held Crota’s soul.”

_‘Back to his chamber?’ Maverick and Skinner have been here before?_

“What does he mean by ‘back to his chamber’ Mav?” I asked.

“Well, you see, we got sent to destroy his crystal. Which was his physical form in our world,” Maverick replied.

“Oh, okay…” _Something… something isn’t adding up._

The Hive seemed to know immediately that they had intruders. Mostly Thrall and Acolytes, so we cut through them with ease. Cayde came back over comms before I could ask any more questions when the fighting was done..

“Alright. Here’s what needs to happen. We have to steal a Hive crystal that still has a trace of Crota’s soul so you can pass through a dimensional portal on the Dreadnaught and kill Oryx. I leave anything out Eris?”

“It must be done before Oryx turns his scrying eye to this realm.”

“Good luck fireteam.”

We fight through some Hive and reach the door leading deeper into the dark halls. Deep down in my gut, this unsettling sense of dread started grip my stomach.

“Come on this way,” Mav said, pointing down the hall, deeper into the dark.

“It’s a little dark, let me light the way,” Skinner’s Ghost suggested before illuminating the dark hall.

“Toland’s journal contains an impressive amount of data,” My Ghost said. “I should probably read it… Done. Some of this stuff is fascinating!” She exclaimed before playing an excerpt from the journal.

“A Dreadnaught shields the Hive from the Traveler’s Light. Were we to pass through its deepest layers, our Light would be as a dying sun.”

“I don’t think Toland was much fun at parties,” Skinner groaned.

As we started to leave the darkened hallway, we saw a lot of Thrall feeding. Skinner began to raise his weapon and I followed suit, but Mav stopped us. The two of us looked at him accusingly.

“Don’t shoot,” he whispered. “I don’t want to be chased by Thrall right now.”

“Ugh fine Mav,” Skinner whispered back.

“If the Thrall still feed, Crota’s essence must endure,” Eris said.

We reached the crystal without incident, but the moment we approached it an Ogre climbed out of a cave and began to engage.

“Shit, I _knew_ this was too easy,” Maverick cursed.

“It’s just an Ogre Mav. Let’s kill the damn thing, get the shard and get out of here,” Skinner butt in, already clearing his holster.

We began to fight the Ogre, but it was constantly charging at us and it’s Eye Blast it was tough to dodge it at times. As the battle raged on, I lost count of the amount of bullets we shot at it. It seemed to go on forever. The Ogre began to fumble and trip on itself, but before we could land a killing blow on it, a Taken rift formed above and sucked in the Ogre.

“It’s gone!” Maverick exclaimed. “I think Oryx just took an Ogre…”

Eris responded over the Vanguard Channel. “Not even Oryx can control an Ogre. Unless it’s Taken. Now quickly, I need a shard of that crystal.”

“Skinner, cut a chunk out of that crystal.” Mav said. It was an order, and the edge in his voice unsettled me. I get that he didn’t like being down here, but I’d never seen him so on alert before.

“You got it, Metal Man,” After a bit of cutting with a heated blade, he held up the shard triumphantly.

“We’ve got it.” Maverick said to Eris.

“I knew it could be done. And does it still hold the whisper of Crota’s soul?”

“According to my Ghost’s analysis it’s empty.”

“No matter. Return to me, Guardians, and we will destroy—” Static started to flood the feed from some kind of interference. I opened my palm and pulled out my Ghost to examine the feed. Something was trying to completely cut us off from the Vanguard.

“Maverick, this interference…”

“ _[static]_ Fireteam? We’re losing you. Fireteam can you hear…?” _[static]_ As the channel cut out, an Echo of Oryx appeared. We all backed away from the crystal and held fast to our weapons. I felt Maverick’s hand placed on my arm as he dragged me behind himself and Skinner.

“Was killing Crota not enough for you?!” The Echo bellowed. “Your Light dies here!”

I felt my heart sink and my blood run cold. _They… they killed Crota? They lied to me?_ Before I could question Maverick, Taken began to appear from blights left and right. And then the Ogre came out of the central blight. In five seconds, we were overwhelmed.

“There’s too many of them! Run!” Maverick shouted. We all turned on our heels and ran fast out of the chamber, Taken thrall on our heels and the Taken Ogre was shooting at our backs. Simultaneously, the three of us tossed our grenades behind us to slow them down.

We began to run out of the room dodging weapons fire the best we could as we ran. We returned to the darkened hallway in which we came. We all tried calling out to Eris and Cayde but got no response. That Echo must have been what was interfering with the signal. I held up my hand for them to stop now that the Taken weren’t chasing us. I need answers. I grabbed Maverick’s arm and made him look at me.

“Maverick, what did he mean by ‘was killing Crota not enough for you’? What did you do? What are you hiding from me!" I could feel my hands shaking with the combination of anger and betrayal.

"Storm now’s not the time to…" He began to try and end this conversation, but I wasn’t having it. I cut him off before he could continue.

"I think now’s the perfect time, seeing that Oryx just said what I’ve been thinking. Tell me the truth for once, damn it. Did. You. Kill. Crota." I demanded.

"I don’t know Storm!" He began to raise his voice at me, "All Skinner, Vision, and I did was destroy his crystal. Like I said before it was his physical form in our world.”

“You expect me to believe that?!” My voice cracked as it raised in anger. “What happened in the Pit, Maverick, tell me!”

“Storm, I can’t tell you more than I already have! I don’t have the answers you want!”

I wanted to challenge him again, but Skinner knocked us both upside the head and cut me off before I could even open my mouth. “Guys, now is not the time!“ He pointed behind us and the Taken Thrall that were closing in again.

"Great, let’s work on getting out of here." Maverick sounded relieved. He was quick to change the subject and we headed back to the room to get out of there. But I saw Skinner give Maverick a look, one I couldn’t quite read, but it resembled something like frustration.

When we came into the next room after gunning down the Thrall behind us, the Taken were there ready to make us fight to escape. We ran in to quickly take down the Taken in the room, I still had the creeping feeling that the Taken from the grave were behind us. Even though we were fighting among ourselves, we still worked as an effective team. Slaughtering any Taken that dared to oppose us. Maverick went back to the door we came in but it was shut, then I found the other door sealed with some kind of lock.

“The Taken locked us in with this… Lock? I guess it’s what this is. _Peu de lumière_ , can you see if Toland’s journal has anything on this?” I asked.

“Yeah, give me a second,” she said before playing an excerpt from the journal.

“It’s long been my belief that the binds which hold the greatest Hive terror could be lifted by releasing the energy stored within their tomb husks.”

"What the hell does it look like?" Maverick muttered in bewilderment.

"I think it looks like this,” Skinner said from behind us, holding some sort of Hive relic.

“Ok,” Maverick said, “shove into that lock I guess.”

“No shit,” He spat back to Mav as he pushed into the lock. 

It glowed for a second before the lock broke and faded away.

“Remind me to make copies of this journal when we get back,” My Ghost said.

We began to fight through the Taken that appeared after we opened the door, and we began to follow the stream of Taken to the next open room. This time there were more of them but they didn’t stand much of a chance against a pissed off fireteam that was angry with their leader. We approached the next door.

“Really?! Two locks!” Mav groaned in frustration.

I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Mav, the husks should be around somewhere.”

“Yeah I see one,” Skinner said before running off to go get it.

“I’ll go look for the second one,” Mav said. “Storm, guard the door. Make sure nothing gets close.” Then he walked away from me, and I shot down anything that tried to get close. Skinner came back to me first and pushed his relic into the lock.

“What took so long, Titan?” Skinner taunted once Maverick got over to us.

“Well if you must know I got ambushed by a Knight but don’t worry I killed it, now let’s go.” Mav said as he shoved the second husk into the other lock.

The Vanguard’s channel came through, but only for enough time for Eris to say, “[static] we’re going to lose them, just like Eriana!”

“Come on guys! The connection’s getting stronger!” Maverick yelled back to us. I rolled my eyes, that much was obvious. The clock was ticking, but the further we advanced, the more likely we were to get out alive.

“Yeah like my connection to throw knives at your head again,” Skinner muttered.

We followed the path to another room. Bigger than the last two. And there were a small number of Taken here. Considering the size of the room it was surprising that there weren’t more of them. The two of them started to rush inside, but I caught sight of a tomb husk and picked it up.

“You dumbasses almost ran by this husk,” I said and held it up when I caught up to them.

“Well I guess it’s better to have a tomb husk then not need it than to need a tomb husk and not have it,” Maverick stated as we advanced in the room. We made short work of the small Taken defence force.

“Three locks,” I said and pushed my husk into the lock. “Well you can’t say they’re not trying.”

As the lock faded, blights began to form and produce Taken and Thrall started to fall out of the walls. We stood in a triangle, and readied our weapons. 

“Kill the Taken first. Then search for the other husks.” Mav commanded.

We cut down the second wave of Taken defenders and started searching for the husks. Maverick found one close but behind a wall and grabbed it, then made his way back to me at the door. Skinner ran back holding the other husk and they put them in at the same time. The door began to open and Taken began to appear behind us as we ran out the door.

“ _[Static]_ fireteam? Get out of that Pit! We need that crystal or we’ll never reach Oryx!” Eris said in a moment the Vanguard channel came in and out again.

“We’re close guys. Just follow me!” Maverick said to Skinner and I, we both nodded and followed in tight formation behind him.

We ran past most of the Taken and reached the room before the outside being guarded by a Taken Wizard. Maverick didn’t hesitate and he pulled out his Gjallarhorn, taking down the Wizard in two shots. With it’s death the doors opened to the outside and we rushed towards it as more Taken blights began to form behind us.

The Vanguard channel began to come in clear as day with Cayde on the other end beginning to speak.

“ _[Fading static]_ Fireteam, is that you?”

“Yeah, we made it out Cayde,” Maverick replied as we stood outside the Temple of Crota.

“Then the Taken King will fall, now bring me his dead son’s crystal,” Eris said.

“That’s how Eris says she appreciates your sacrifice. Glad you guys are safe,” Cayde said before cutting the channel.

We all got into our ships and returned to the Tower. Our trip back home was mostly in silence. When we landed in the Hanger, I tried to get Maverick’s attention, but he was gone and away from me before I could ask any more questions. I watched his back and clenched my hands in fists. I punched the side of my ship, leaving a Scorch mark on the paint.

“Storm…” I looked up at Skinner as he approached me, his hands in his pockets. He looked around, as if checking that no one was watching us. He pulled a thin card made out of Glimmer and handed it to me. “That… has the code to our Fireteam’s mission reports and archives. There’s a lot of sensitive information in there, but it should have the answers you’re looking for.”

I looked up at Skinner with wide eyes. “Skinner…”

“Don’t. I’ve wanted to tell you the truth, but there’s a reason why our records are locked. Only the original fireteam and the Vanguard knows what really happened.” He turned and started to walk away from me, but paused and looked back over his shoulder. “Oh, yeah, and don’t tell Maverick. He doesn’t want me to do this, but… you deserve to know.”

I watched him leave and looked down at the card in my hands. I tapped it thoughtfully against my opposite hand and chewed on the inside of my cheek.

“What are you going to do?” My Ghost asked.

“Get ready to copy a lot of information, Ghost,” I uttered coldly, and started walking out of the Hanger and towards the Hall of Guardians. “I’ve got answers to find.”


	23. Answers

“Genesis, you really don’t have to do this,” My Ghost said once I slipped past the Vanguard into the Archives. Skinner’s card gave me access, and there was a Fireteam code on the bottom of it. All Fireteams had their own identification code, nothing was by name in order to protect team privacy in case of a breach. I approached a computer at the back of the room, but I hesitated. I gently pressed the card against my lips, then turned to look behind myself to make sure I wasn’t being watched. Dawn was right, I didn’t have to do this. But I need answers.

“Just get ready to copy the file, Dawn.”

I slid the card and the computer started to bring up the Fireteam’s data. I watched file after file appear on screen and my eyes widened. _They’ve been going so much longer than I realized._ All of their names and aliases appeared on the top of the screen. 

> _**Maverick-8** _ _, “Mav,” Titan, Fireteam Leader._

> _**C** _ _**onor** _ _, “Skinner,” Hunter, Front Line Assault._

> _**A** _ _**leckzander** _ _, “Paradox,” Hunter, Long Range Assault._

> _**J** _ _**amison-6** _ _, “Enigma” Hunter, Reconnaissance._

> _**R** _ _**yan** _ _, “Shadow,” Titan, Demolitions Expert._

> _**S** _ _**amuel** _ _, “Vision,” Titan, Front Line Assault._

“Woah…” I uttered under my breath as I flipped through the mission files. There were so many of them, all under the name of the final target. 

> **S** _**epkis Prime** _ _, The Devils Lair, Cosmodrome, Earth…_

> **_Draksis, Winter’s Kell_ ** _, Fallen Ketch, Ishtar Sink, Venus…_

> **_The Black Heart_ ** _, The Black Garden, Meridian Bay, Mars…_

> **_Atheon_ ** _, Vault of Glass, Ishtar Sink, Venus…_

> **_Omnigul, The Will of Crota_ ** _, Jovian Complex, Old Russia Cosmodrome, Earth…_

> **_Crota, Son of Oryx_ ** _, The Hellmouth, Ocean of Storms, Earth’s Moon…_

> **_Skolas, The Silent Fang_ ** _, Citadel, Ishtar Sink, Venus…_

“There it is…” I breathed. My heart was pounding as I selected the mission report for the raid they did on the Moon and took out my Ghost, who started downloading the data file. The file didn’t take long, but I wanted to print the file out at home so I could read it physically. When she finished downloading the file, I logged out and quickly exited the room, though I was trying my best not to be suspicious. 

“Start printing it out, Dawn, I need to read that file the moment I get home.” I avoided speaking to anyone as I left the Tower. However, when I passed the Postmaster, I saw Skinner, who was leaning against the railing at the edge of the Tower plaza, his arms crossed over his chest. We met each other’s gaze, and he gave me a nod. 

When I finally got home I could feel a cold sweat running down my back. I stripped out of my armor and slipped on a sweater and some sweats, put on a pot of coffee, and picked the file up off of my printer. I set it on the coffee table, poured myself a cup, and sat down on the couch. I took a deep breath, and started to read the transcript of the debriefing.

> _**Zavala** _ _: Mission Summary, Maverick._

> **_Maverick-8_ ** _: [sighs] We went down into the Hellmouth to kill Crota. It was… difficult to say the least. We had no communication with the Vanguard once we were down in the Pit. We made it through the Pit, built and crossed the Bridge, and defeated the Deathsinger, Ir Yut, in the final chamber._

> **_Ikora_ ** _: And what happened after that?_

> _[long pause]_

> _**Ikora** _ _: Maverick?_

> **_Maverick-8_ ** _: Sorry… We fought Crota, and deduced that the only way to kill him was to use his own sword. And we succeeded, but…_

> **_Zavala_ ** _: You can’t spare any details, Maverick, you know that._

> **_Maverick-8_ ** _: After we killed him, the remaining Hive in the area went ballistic. We had to flee. Paradox and Enigma… Sorry, Aleckzander and Jamison-6, were cut off from the rest of us by Gatekeepers and were separated from the rest of us as we tried to escape. We kept running… Ryan was caught by a Wizard and had his light ripped out of him. I… I’ve never heard someone scream like that before._

> **_Zavala_ ** _: How did the rest of you get out?_

> **_Maverick-8_ ** _: We ran back over the bridge and back into the Abyss… Vision was overrun by Thrall that were chasing us. We managed to get him up and running, but his eyes were clawed at. I’m not sure if he’s ever going to be able to see again. His Ghost was lost in the Abyss. He… he’s lightless._

> _[long pause]_

> _**Cayde-6** _ _: I think that’s enough._

> **_Zavala_ ** _: Is there anything you’re leaving out?_

> **_Maverick-8_ ** _: I… I don’t know. Crota was some Hive’s son, right?_

> **_Eris Morn_ ** _: Yes, he is the Son of Oryx, a Hive God._

> **_Maverick-8_ ** _: What happens if he comes back to us for vengeance? What will we do then? Zavala, we barely made it out of there alive. Half of my fireteam is dead. Is there really nothing that you can do to at least let us go back and find them?_

> **_Zavala_ ** _: No, Maverick. We cannot allow anyone to go back there. I’m sorry._

> **_Maverick-8_ ** _: No you’re not. You just want to bury this. But a Fireteam never forgets. I will never forget._

I sat back on my couch and ran a hand through my hair. “So… they did kill him. They killed Crota. Why, why would he lie to me?”

“To protect himself, maybe?” My Ghost suggested.

“No, I think it’s more than that. I’ve heard about a legendary Guardian, everyone has, but I had no idea it was Maverick. How could I have known? He didn’t tell me anything about himself. I feel like I don’t know him at all!” Tears were burning in my eyes. “I can’t believe he lied to me for so long. He knew that Oryx was trying to avenge his son! He knew, and he didn’t tell me! What they did, what they did…” I threw the file angrily across the room. “It’s the reason why my team… why _my friends_ are dead!”

“Genesis, you know he didn’t intend to get your team killed.”

“But he had several chances to tell me the truth! To tell me why all of this was happening!”

My Ghost fell silent. I stood up and threw my mug at the wall. It shattered into pieces and the remaining coffee splashed over the walls and floor. I paced around my apartment, anger and confusion flowing through my veins. I clenched my hands into fists and walked over to the painting of Maverick I had done. I couldn’t stand seeing it, my heart ached and hurt from this petty sense of betrayal. I screamed aloud and thrust out my hand, and Solar energy erupted from my palm. The canvas lit into flames and I watched the painting burn. I was seething with rage, I felt utterly betrayed, and I couldn’t contain my tears anymore. I collapsed against the wall and broke down. I didn’t want to believe any of it, but it was in front of me in black and white. 

When I finally gathered myself, I stood shakily on my feet. “Ghost, I want you to shut down all comms, locations, and feeds.” I walked upstairs and pulled on a cloak. It was old and tattered, but it was enough to give me coverage. I pulled on a helmet, too. I didn’t put on any armor and my common sense was out a window. “Transmat me to the ship.” 

“But, Genesis—”

“Just do it, Dawn!” I snapped. She transmatted me up to my ship, and I left for orbit without any clearance from the Vanguard. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew wherever I was going, it was somewhere that Zavala’s bounty hunters couldn’t find me. I took a few deep breaths and thought. “Set a course for Venus.”

“Where are you going, Genesis?”

“Somewhere they won’t find me.”


	24. Hiding

When I landed on Venus, I rode my sparrow towards that cave that Maverick took me to. It was the only place outside of Vanguard reach that I could go to, and hopefully Maverick wouldn’t think to look for me there. At least not first. I didn’t want him to find me right away, I needed time to think, to figure out why he had to keep his secrets. I wasn’t ready to face him. I still wasn’t wearing my armor, so I had to be extremely careful in danger zones. Despite my caution, I took a bullet in the side from a Hobgoblin from across the Endless Steps. I cried out in pain as I peeled around the corner and started through the woods, clutching onto my waist. The pain was rippling through my entire torso and warm blood seeped through the fabric and between my fingers. When I reached the cave, I got off my sparrow and leaned against the outside wall of the cliff side, my hands were shaking.

“Dawn...”

“Already on it.” She said as she started to heal the wound that was soaking my side with blood. “You should have worn your armor. I can bring some down from the ship.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said softly. “I’ll be fine here.” I stood up and walked inside the cave and lit the oil lamps, then pulled off my helmet after my Ghost set wards so I could breathe in here. The air on Venus was growing cold as night was starting to fall. I laid down and curled up on the cot, hugging myself. Part of me wished I hadn’t read those files. My heart felt broken, and my stomach plunged when I started crying again. Everything that I’ve been feeling over the last 24 hours came out all at once. Betrayal, despair, anger, used… It all hurt. I pulled a blanket that was folded in the corner over my body and closed my eyes. 

I woke the next morning feeling weak and stiff. I sat up and looked around at the bare walls around me, illuminated by the faint orange glow of the oil lamps. “Dawn… Can you bring down my supplies?”

“What, your paints and brushes.”

“Yes.”

She pulled them down and I stared at the empty walls. My body still felt weak, but I had to sort out my emotions somehow. I started painting, all of my emotions flowing out through my paintbrush.

“Are you going to forgive him?” Dawn asked me once I had painted the dark reds and oranges on the wall. 

“Maybe. I just need to figure out why. Why would he hide so much from me? You don’t understand, _peu de lumière_ , I feel like I don’t know the man at all anymore.”

I continued painting. It was of a sketch I did without Maverick’s knowledge. It was him as a Sunbreaker, his arm pulled back, ready to throw his hammer, and I as a Sunsinger, my arm raised above me, clutching a grenade. The solar energy that surrounded us gave me my wings, and it gave Maverick a sort of flaming halo. Despite the negativity I felt towards him right now, I still loved him. I couldn’t change the feelings I had for him. It was why I felt betrayed, why I couldn’t break this feeling of despair. Deep down, I still loved him. He was all I had after my Fireteam died. 

It took me two days to finish that painting. The vibrant warm colors seemed to glow in the cave, especially when they reflected the glow of lamps. I sat down on the ground in front of the wall, my arms and clothes were spotted with paint smudges and droplets from the endless work I had done. My sense of weakness had grown. I’ve barely had anything to eat or drink. I slept a total of 4 hours over the past 72, and I was so mentally exhausted that I barely felt anything now. I felt numb to everything that had happened. 

I had gotten my answers. Even though the answers I got weren’t what I wanted to hear, they were the truth.

“I think I know why,” I murmured softly to my Ghost. “I think I know why he hid everything from me.”

“Oh?”

“What if he just… wanted to be a normal Guardian again? What if he didn’t want all of his titles. Maybe… Maybe he just wanted me to see him for himself. See him as a Guardian, not as a legend. Maybe he just wanted me to be his friend, so I wouldn’t idolize him. What if… what if he just… didn’t want to be forced to remember all that he’s gone through.”

There was silence between my Ghost and I. My head was spinning. I closed my eyes and leaned back against one of the walls. I held fast onto my hand cannon. I was starting to become afraid. What if the bounty hunters were getting close? My head was pounding from the lack of food and water I’ve had over the last couple of days.

“Genesis, are you alright?” My Ghost asked and hovered in front of me.

“ _Oui, peu de lumière_ , I’m just… tired.”

“Your vitals are dropping, Guardian, I’m bringing some food and water down from the Ship.”

“ _Non, non… s'il vous plaît, ne t'en fais pas_.”*

While my Ghost was gone to the Ship, I heard the whirr of a Sparrow approaching. Then before I knew it, the door burst open. I screamed out loud and held up my weapon, though my hands were shaking violently. As I did, I saw the red eye of a Vex, but before I could pull the trigger in defense, Maverick's voice cut through the air.

“Angel!” Maverick shouted and hurried over to me. He knelt down in front of me, removed his helmet, and moved the barrel of my gun down. He looked at me closely before his arms wrapped around me, and he held me close to him.

“ _Ah… mon chérie… je suis désolé…_ ” I murmured as I leaned my face into his chest. His hand gently held my head and tucked me close against him.

“I’m so sorry, Angel,” he said quietly. “I was going to tell you in the morning. But by then you were gone… I’ve been looking all over for you. I was starting to lose hope.”

“Maverick…” I looked up at him, my vision blurry as tears started to leak on my cheeks again. “I’m sorry… I should have trusted you…”

“But you had reason to doubt. I wish I had told you the truth sooner. But… I was afraid you would hate me.”

“I could never hate you. Never. I just… I wanted to understand. I felt like I was missing so many pieces. I… I honestly thought you didn’t trust me.”

“That’s not true, Angel. I just didn’t know if you would trust me after I told you.” Mav gently held my head in his hands, his fingers wiping the tears beneath my eyes away, just as Dawn came back from the ship.

“You know, I knew you were going to show up eventually,” she said and started to heal me. I felt energy rush back into my body, but my muscles still felt weak. I was still _incredibly_ tired.

“C’mon, I gotta get you out of here. You need rest. What’s happened over the past three days?”

“Oh you know,” Dawn chirped, “she hasn't eaten or drank anything, maybe 5 hours of sleep total. She spent most of her time doing that.” My Ghost said while flashing her light on the wall. Maverick paused and looked at it, he almost seemed to be amazed.

After a few minutes of silence, though, he turned his attention back to me. I didn’t protest as he lifted me up into his arms, one under my knees, the other behind my shoulder.

“Little Light, bring us up to my ship. Can you fly hers back to the Tower?”

“Of course,” my Ghost said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“I’m so dead when we get back,” I murmured softly. “Zavala is definitely going to put me on total lock down again.”

“I promise you, Angel,” Maverick said firmly once we had transmatted onto his ship. “I won’t let that happen to you.” He set me down gently in the co-pilot seat. He strapped me in securely and then met my gaze and traced his fingers along the side of my face. I leaned my head on his hands. “Hang tight, okay? You might just need to get back on Earth, have some real oxygen in your lungs, and get some sleep in an actual bed. I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you.”

“Maverick… you don’t have to… Just… promise me you won’t keep things from me again.”

“I promise, no more secrets. Now can I please get you home so you can sleep? I will hold off Zavala and his bounty hunters, even if it means I have to throw a hammer into his face.”

I laughed weakly. I knew he would, too, even though Sunbreakers were unwelcome in the Last City. “Okay, okay, I’ll rest. Let’s just go home.”

We entered slip space back to the Tower, the entire time Maverick was grasping tightly onto my hand, unwilling to let go. I allowed myself to slip into deep sleep in the co-pilot seat.

_\--- translations ---_

*No, no, please, don’t worry about it.


	25. Reevaluation

I woke in my apartment. I felt better; more relaxed, more awake. I was expected to appear before the Vanguard this morning at eight o’clock. I glanced at my clock, it was right before 6. Sunrise would be coming soon, so I rolled out of bed and got into the shower. The hot water felt glorious on my skin and the tension in my body was slowly releasing. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing the Vanguard today. I’m sure Zavala was going to be furious, and he would probably be pushing for me to be suspended, or even put on lock down, until I could correct my behavior. Maybe even Ikora would agree with him, I’ve been way out of line. I was so personally invested in this mission that my judgement was clouded. The only one who might oppose would be Cayde, since I’ve been on the team with Skinner and Maverick. The only reason Ikora might oppose is because I’m one of the few Stormcallers left.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off my body, then wrapped myself in a bathrobe. I dried my hair with a towel as I walked downstairs. I rounded the corner into the kitchen, and turned on a pot of coffee.

“Oh, you’re awake.” I whipped around at the sound of the voice and thrust my hands forward, a Thunderstrike erupted out of my palms and flashed across the room. A small yelp of pain followed, as well as a dense thud. “Agh! What was that for?!”

My eyes widened when I realized it was Maverick. He was clutching onto his shoulder as his Ghost appeared. I looked at Dawn as she appeared beside me. “Why didn’t you tell me he was here!” I hissed at her, then went over to Maverick and helped him stand up. “Mav, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were here.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said as his Ghost started healing him. “I’m just glad you’re awake.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. Did you stay here the whole time? How long have I been out?”

“It’s been about two days since I brought you home. I stayed in case Zavala tried to send any of his Bounty Hunters in here. He did once, but they didn’t even get a foot in the door. I didn’t let them.”

“I—thank you, _mon cherie_ , for staying here. Do you need anything?” I asked as I stood and looked around the living room. The files were piled neatly on the table, my mug that I shattered had been cleaned up and thrown away. Anything that I had knocked over in my fit of rage was picked up or tossed if it was broken. I walked over to the burned painting and gently ran my fingers over the scorched edges. I couldn’t believe I had destroyed it, and I felt tears burning in my eyes. “I wish I could change things…” I whispered quietly.

“I know,” he said. “But you were justified. I guess I can understand that… that you hated me in the moment.”

“But still… this feels so wrong. I’ve never destroyed any of my pieces like this.” I walked away from it and into the kitchen, Maverick right behind me. I pulled down a new mug and poured myself a cup of coffee. After taking a couple sips, I sighed. “Maverick… there’s so much I didn’t know about you. Why, why did you feel like you had to hide from me?”

There was a long pause when I turned to him. He was looking at the ground, like he was ashamed. “Angel… You have to understand, there’s a lot about me that I didn’t want you to know. When people know who I am, when they know me only for what I’ve done and accomplished, they change. I… I didn’t want you to change. To be honest, I fell in love with the blissfully unaware Warlock that I met at the entrance to the Vault. I just wanted to feel like a normal Guardian again.” 

I felt my cheeks flush and I looked down at the floor. I felt guilty for looking in the file now. “I should have just asked you…” I murmured softly. 

He laughed softly. “In your defense, you did.” When I didn’t respond, Maverick smoothed a hand over my hair and gently lifted my chin. “Genesis, this isn’t your fault. I should have told you sooner, I know, but I didn’t want you to leave our team if you knew.”

“I understand, Mav,” I said quietly. “But… I need to get ready. The Vanguard is expecting me within the hour.” I watched the expression on his face shift, almost like he was worried or scared. “Hey….” I smiled gently and placed my hand on his arm. “I’m not going to let them love me away. Everything’s going to be fine.”

I placed my mug down and went upstairs to get suited up. I slipped on my Nerigal Savant III set that I had gotten from Ikora, and went back downstairs. “Maverick, go get Skinner and just wait for me. I’ll be back soon.” As we walked out of my apartment, Maverick caught my hand and stopped me before I could get away.

“Angel…”

“ _Mon cherie_ ,” I said softly. “I promise you, everything is going to be fine, okay?” 

He paused a moment before he sighed and nodded. “Okay.”

I smiled and kissed him softly. His hand squeezed mine tightly. When we parted, I gave him a reassuring smile, and went on my way towards the Tower.

“You know you can’t actually keep that promise, right?” My Ghost said once we were out of earshot. I nodded in acknowledgement as I carried my helmet in my left hand, and ran my fingers through my hair. But I didn’t want to believe in the possibility of getting locked up again. I had to perish the thought.

* * *

“Genesis Page, do you understand the gravity of your actions?” Zavala’s voice was hard and stern. 

I stood before the Vanguard, my helmet placed on the table in front of me. I avoided eye contact with the Vanguard Commander. I already explained to him why I disappeared, why I snuck into the Archives, and why I decided to come back. “Commander, I already explained to you everything. I know I acted rashly and completely on impulse and my emotions. And I know that after our unauthorized mission to Phobos, I asked you to give me a chance to prove myself. I know where I stand, and I know my position isn’t good. But Commander, please, you must understand—” I looked up and met his harsh gaze, and he interrupted me before I could continue to defend myself.

“You should be put under lock down,” Zavala warned, his voice low and cautionary. “Guardian, you are out of control.”

“Genesis is right, Zavala,” Ikora interrupted. “She knows she was wrong to act as she did, which not many will admit. I believe that she should go back into the field after a few days, perhaps. There is still much she doesn’t know about Maverick and Conor’s mission to kill Crota.”

“Genesis, you left the Tower with nothing but your helmet and a hand cannon,” Cayde-6 said. He was staring at me with a mix of admiration and maybe worry. “You could very well have died. But you survived on your own on Venus. And yeah, she screwed up,” he turned to Zavala, “but she’s capable enough to continue. She should go back into the field, her fireteam needs her to complete this mission.”

“And now that she knows the truth of Crota’s death,” Eris said from the side of the room, “she is better equipped to carry out this mission to end the Taken King.”

“Enough!” Zavala shouted and slammed a fist on the table. I winced and looked down again. “Genesis, you must be put under lock down. We let you go once, but we can’t make the same mistake again.” 

“Zavala, please, if you would just listen—!”

He held up a hand to silence me, then typed in a code on the table. Two of the Bounty Hunters that I passed on my way inside walked in behind me. 

_No_ , I thought to myself. _Not today_. 

Arc energy surged through my core, straight through my arms, legs, and mind. I cast my Stormtrance and looked over at the Bounty Hunters, who backed off, but still kept their weapons trained on me. I turned back towards the Vanguard. They all had backed away from the table, but Ikora was smiling proudly and Cayde was grinning, like he was antsy to see what was happening next. Zavala was the only one who looked angry that I cast my super inside of the Tower. Before he could react or say a thing, I blinked directly in front of him, my eyes white with the Arc energy that was flowing through my body.

“Go ahead, Commander,” I taunted. “Lock me up. Try. But I am no use to the Vanguard or to my team if I am on lock down.”

I heard the door burst open behind me, both Skinner and Maverick had rushed inside, ready to defend me. I turned to look at them and they both stopped in place. I had this under control. Skinner nodded and placed a hand on Mav’s shoulder, but they both were grinning. I turned back to Zavala once the Arc Light around me faded. He simply stared at me in disbelief. But I didn’t touch him. His bounty hunters couldn’t do anything, since I didn’t attack anyone. After a moment of tense silence, Zavala sighed.

“Your temper needs to be brought under control, Guardian.”

“I am in complete control of my emotions and my Light, Commander.”

He walked away from me and over to Ikora, and they spoke quietly for a moment. I glanced at my Fireteam with a faint smile on my lips. I was glad they had my back, even if I didn’t need it.

“Yes… Very well…” Zavala turned back to me, almost looking disappointed. “Genesis, you will be able to return to the field after a few days to… cool off. Take this time to learn more about your Fireteam. Be ready to return to the field in 72 hours. Dismissed.”

The Vanguard all left the room, followed by the bounty hunters. I looked at Maverick and Skinner, and walked over to him. I smiled at Mav. “See? I told you everything would be fine.”

Skinner laughed maniacally. “You should have _seen_ the look on Zavala’s face! The only other person who’s stood up to Zavala like that had been Metal Man over here!”

Maverick hugged me tightly. “Good. I say we all go drinking before we sit down and talk about the team’s history. This is a victory for all of us. Especially you.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you confront someone like that, especially not the Vanguard,” Skinner added as we walked out of the room.

“Well,” I said and wrapped one arm around each of their shoulders. “What can I say? I have a family to fight for.”

Maverick leaned down to my ear. His mouth brushed gently against the shell of my ear and my cheeks lit up pink with blush. “I’m proud of you, Angel,” he said quietly, so quietly that Skinner didn’t even hear him.

I smiled softly as we entered the Plaza and Skinner hit the button for the elevator down to the City. “Thank you,” I whispered back.


	26. Fireteam Insurgent's History

The three of us were in Maverick’s apartment. There was a pot of coffee brewing and Skinner was on the phone ordering pizza from this place downtown. Apparently, they had the best pizza in the Last City. I was laying down on the couch. My head was pounding.

“What did we do last night?” I asked, opening one eye to peer at Maverick, who was sitting at the table.

“We went drinking, remember?” He said with a chuckle.

“Barely…” I closed my eyes against the sunlight that shone in the room. “Can you close the blinds? It’s really bright in here.”

Skinner laughed and sat down in the armchair across the room. “Looks like someone’s hungover. To be fair, though, you had a lot to drink last night.”

“What…? How much?”

“Like… seven Lights Out, plus some normal liquor.”

I groaned and rolled on my stomach, burying my face in the pillows. I could hear them both laughing. “Shut up, guys,” I complained. The memories of last night were blurry and thinking back on them hurt my head. I remember dancing, drinking, loud noises, and Maverick holding me tightly at some point.

“Alright, you two,” Skinner announced a few minutes later. “I’m going to pick up the pizza. Play nice. And Mav, no repeats of last night, got it?”

“Fuck off, asshole,” Mav grumbled.

When I heard the door shut, I sat up and held my head. Maverick came over to me with a cup of black coffee, my usual morning pick-me-up. He sat down on the couch by my knees. I nodded in thanks and took the cup from him. “What _did_ happen last night?” I asked him quietly.

“I’ll explain when you’re sober,” the Exo whispered.

While I sipped on the coffee, Mav gently rubbed my back. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on his shoulder. His touch was soothing and feather-light, almost like he was scared to touch me.

“Why are you always so gentle like this?” I pressed gently.

“What do you mean?”

“Whenever you touch me, you are always so careful and gentle. Like you’re afraid you’re going to hurt me. Why is that?”

There was a long silence that fell between us while he thought. He sighed softly. “I… I don’t know. I guess I’m just scared of my own strength, or what I could accidentally do to you.”

I gazed at him lovingly. “ _Mon chérie_ , you are too kind. Whatever you do, you could never hurt me.”

He laughed aloud and looked at me, his red eyes ablaze with mischief and excitement. “Oh, little angel, you have _no_ idea what I am capable of.”

My cheeks warmed and I looked down. I _almost_ didn’t want to know what happened last night. I closed my eyes and leaned back on the couch. The light was still straining my eyes, it made me feel like my head was splitting in two. “Seriously, Mav, can we close the curtains, blinds, or something? My head is splitting.”

The Exo laughed softly and stood, then closed the curtains, flooding the room in dimmer lighting. I took a sip of my coffee when he came back over to me. “Greasy food will help you, Angel. Trust me.” He patted my shoulder and then walked back over to the table and sat down.

Ten minutes later, Skinner returned and slammed the door behind him. “I have fooooood!” He shouted, making my ears ring. 

“Skinner, I swear on the Traveler, shut the _fuck_ up,” I warned, clutching my head. Both he and Maverick started laughing.

“C’mon, Storm,” Skinner said. I felt his hands hook underneath my arms and dragged me to my feet. I groaned in protest, although I followed him to the table, where he and Maverick helped me sit. “Eating will help you feel better, sooner.” I lowered my head onto the table.

When Mav opened the box, my head shot up. My enhanced senses went into overdrive and I propped my head on my hand. It smelled amazing, and even more so when Skinner put a slice on a plate and placed it directly under my nose. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I was already half-way through my second piece. My headache was starting to lessen. I moaned in delight and took another bite. “Oh my _lord_ ,” I mumbled. “ _Mmm… so good…_ ”

Skinner nodded in agreement. “Told you so.” Even Mav was having a slice. After a few slices in, my head was clearer and I wasn’t as sensitive to the light.

“Mmh… so…” I said after a couple more bites. “Where do we start?”

“Right,” Mav pulled a file from the stack next to him and opened it. “Sepkis Prime. It’s the mission that Skinner, Vision, and I met. We were all assigned individually, but we worked really well together and became a team.”

“Man,” Skinner said and leaned back in his chair. “You know, we didn’t hit it off at all in the beginning. I didn’t even want to be a part of the team, but Zavala practically forced me.”

“Really?” I said in shock. “How come?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t work well with people back then, only ever co-op strikes when Zavala really needed me to..”

“It’s true,” Mav added. “Vision and I hit it off right away, I guess it was the Titan thing. It was rough trying to get this Hunter to work with us. After Vision and I took him to the bar after a mission, however, and we all really got to know each other personally, we became one of the best teams the Vanguard had at the time.”

I pondered on this for a moment. “I see… so that’s how your team started.” I sat back in my chair and took a sip of coffee. “When I went digging, there were seven mission reports. I assume you met the rest of the team along the way.”

“Almost all of them,” Mav corrected. “We met Shadow in the bar. The guy was lost and Vision insisted that we take him in.”

“Okay, and the others…” I shuffled through the papers. “Ah, Jamison-6 and Aleckzander. How’d they meet you guys?”

“When I went to kill Draksis.” Mav shuffled through the files and pulled another file from the stack and placed it in front of me. I opened it up and skimmed through the document while Maverick continued. “Skinner was on a mission for Cayde and Vision was having an off day, though he didn’t say why and he didn’t want to leave the Tower. The Vanguard paired me with the two Hunters. Hell, we worked like a well oiled machine in the field.”

“They were great guys,” Skinner added. “A little rebellious and crazy, but the two of them were inseparable. And they were always there when called upon.”

“Were they with you when you went to the Vault?” I asked.

“Yup. It was Skinner, Shadow, Vision, Paradox, Enigma and I. Vault of Glass was a tricky raid. Especially in the Labyrinth.”

“The ‘Labyrinth’?”

“The Gorgon Labyrinth. They’re these Harpies that patrol the Vault, though they’re mostly in the Labyrinth after you encounter the Templar, which was a giant Hydra that protected the entrance to the Labyrinth. The Gorgons don’t kill you if they catch you. They erase you from existence, so we either had to sneak by quietly or kill all of them. We tried to get through quietly, but Shadow was spotted, so we had to take the violent way out.”

“Typical Titan,” Skinner scoffed.

I laughed softly and shook my head. Mav was glaring at him. “You know I could wipe the floor with you right now, isn’t that right, asshat?”

Skinner placed a hand on the table and leaned close. “Oh, I would love to see you try me in Crucible.”

“Okay, boys,” I interjected. “Be nice. What happened next? After the Vault.”

“After the Vault? We all went our separate ways for a while. We met up once a week or so to hang out and catch up, but Eris reached out to us… maybe two months later, about some Hive activity on the Moon. She had reached out to us once before, after we destroyed the Heart of the Black Garden. We destroyed the Fist of Crota, but then Omnigul, the Will of Crota, tried to take over Rasputin. Our mission led us to her, and Eris insisted that we had to put a stop to her work. And stopping her led us to Crota.”

We grew silent. I was absently swirling my mug in my hand, Mav was staring at the last file in the stack which was now in the center of the table, and Skinner was holding his knife in his hands, the blade glinting in the room’s dim light. I had read Maverick’s mission debriefing and I knew what he said had happened, but we all withhold information from the Vanguard.

“So…” I started quietly after a few minutes of uneasy silence. “What actually happened.”

“The raid… it was almost too easy. Everything went according to plan.” Skinner looked down at the knife in his hands. “From the moment we entered the Abyss to the moment we killed Crota with his own sword.”

“We won,” Maverick added quietly and I shifted my gaze to him. “But… any and all Hive left in that Throne World went into an angry rampage before we could get out. We ran since our Ghosts couldn’t establish a transmat link in the Throne World. Shadow was first.”

Skinner stabbed his knife into the table, directly through the mission report. “He got held down by Thrall and before we could get back to him, a Wizard ripped the light out of his body. His screams… still haunt me when I go to sleep.”

“We kept running,” Mav continued, “but there was a ledge above that we needed to use to get out of the area, too high to jump to. Enigma and Paradox helped the three of us jump up, then Enigma helped Paradox up to us. Before we could reach down and pull him up, a Gatekeeper knight pulled him down mid-jump, then slashed him in half.”

Skinner looked over at me. “Paradox jumped back down after him to protect his Ghost. He killed the Hive that tried to swarm him. He kept yelling at us to run, and we had no choice but to leave. He was killed by a Swordbearer. Then both of the Ghosts were shattered.”

I nodded. The two of them exchanged looks. Maybe they didn’t want to continue reliving the mission that destroyed their team. “You guys don’t have to—” I started, but Maverick cut me off.

“No, you should know. You have every right.”

“Your team was killed because of our mission,” Skinner added firmly. “You need to understand why; and why Oryx wants to finish the job that his son started. He wants to destroy all Lightbearers because _we_ killed his son.”

“Okay…” I placed my mug down and refocused. “So what next. How did you get out?”

“We ran back across the bridge and back into the Abyss,” Mav continued. “There were hundreds of Thrall chasing us. Vision was overrun, but I could _not_ let another one of my friends get killed. Skinner and I killed enough of them to get them to flee, but they got a hold of his Ghost. We were able to get Vision to his feet and out of the Abyss, and we escaped back to the surface of the Moon. Vision’s eyes were almost completely clawed out, and since he had no Ghost to heal him, we had to get him back to the Tower to be fixed up.”

“Vision lost all sight in his left eye and about fifty-percent of his right. If we waited any longer to get him out of there, he would have been totally blind.” Skinner stood and walked over to the window.

“Wait… I thought it was just you two left.” I looked between the Hunter and Titan. “Vision’s alive?”

“Well… yeah,” Mav sighed. “He lives here in the City. But he hardly speaks to us anymore.”

“Well, maybe not to you,” Skinner said. “I call him every week. He hardly leaves his house, but I can convince him to go drinking once a month… or two.”

“Skinner…” Mav almost looked sad. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He didn’t want me to. He knows you still have a team to lead, so he didn’t want to bother you. He’s changed a lot. He’s always bitter about something, at least until you get him blackout drunk. Then he just keeps telling you how much he appreciates you and everything you’ve done to help him.”

Mav’s jaw clenched. “He doesn’t answer my calls and that’s why?”

“Yeah.”

We fell silent again. I stood and poured myself another cup of coffee. “You know, I’d like to meet him,” I said.

“No way,” Skinner said quickly. “Trust me, Storm, you really don’t. The guy has no moral filter.”

“So?”

“No, Skinner’s right,” Mav said. “If he doesn’t even want to talk to me, he definitely doesn’t want to talk to you. He might see you as his replacement, and he probably already has opinions about you.”

I sighed and nodded. “I understand.”

We all rejoined at the table, though Skinner just placed his hands on the back of his chair. “But that’s beside the point. There’s three of us who made it out alive; three of us that didn’t.”

“Yeah, and this afternoon turned out to be more depressing than we anticipated,” Maverick concluded.

“Yeah, that’s just about everything, so I’m going to see Shaxx and jump into the Crucible… blow off some steam.” And with that, Skinner said farewell, took his knife out of the table, and left Mav’s apartment, leaving the two of us alone. Mav started to put the papers back in their files.

“Our team has gone through a lot, Storm,” he said quietly. “You’re not the only one with a vendetta.”

“I know,” I sighed and closed my eyes. “It’s just hard to remember that I’m not the only one who’s lost their family.”

Maverick stood and walked behind my chair. His hands placed gently on my shoulders. “I know,” he said. “But at least now you don’t have to go at it alone. None of us do.”

I leaned my head back against his abdomen. I opened my eyes and gazed up at him. “Mav… do you mind if I bathe and take a nap for a while to get rid of the rest of my hangover?”

“Yeah, of course,” he nodded. “I can take you home, or you can just shower here. I never need to use it, but Skinner’s used it a couple of times when he used to crash here every now and then.”

“I’ll just shower here, if that’s OK. It’s still way too bright out for me to comfortably walk home.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, almost sounding shocked. “Um, it’s down the hall, second door on the left. I’ll put some clothes out for you.”

I smiled and stood. “ _Merci, mon chérie_.” I kissed his jaw, then left for the bathroom. When I was going down the hall, my Ghost appeared at my side, and spoke once I closed the bathroom door behind myself.

“You’re being pretty stupid right now, Guardian,” Dawn said as I started to undress.

“Why would you say that?”

“Do… do you really not remember what happened between the two of you last night?”

I turned the shower on and turned the temperature gauge to hot. Heat didn’t really bother me, so I could enjoy scalding hot showers with no painful reactions on my skin. “No, I don’t… Everything about last night is a blur. I get pieces every now and then, but nothing concrete.”

“Well… you see…”

I cut her off. “No, _peu de lumière_. Maverick said he would tell me, and I am going to hear it from him. Am I clear?”

“You’re the boss,” she grumbled as I stepped into the shower, and then she disappeared.

I took my time in the shower. While the heat didn’t burn my skin, it made my senses tingle wonderfully. I used the shampoo and body wash he had here and scrubbed myself until I couldn’t smell the alcohol anymore. I heard the door open and close again while I washed, and when I stepped out a couple minutes later, I saw a change of clothes and a fresh towel on the bathroom counter. I smiled to myself, quickly dried off and dressed, then walked out into the hall. When I got into the living room, I noticed there were pillows and blankets set up on the couch, but Maverick was nowhere to be seen. I tightened the drawstring on the sweats he left so they stopped slipping. I crossed my arms over my chest and hugged the heather gray t-shirt close. Assuming that Maverick was off doing something, maybe building one of his car models, I laid down on the couch and pulled the blanket over my body. Before I completely dozed off to sleep, I felt the blanket get pulled up to my chin and Maverick leaned down and kissed my head. I was smiling when I dozed off to sleep.

* * *

I woke up several hours later. I yawned and stretched, then sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. Maverick was dozed off in the armchair. I smiled softly and stood, blanket around my shoulders, and I knelt down in front of the chair. My hand gently placed on his leg and I leaned my head in his lap. After a couple minutes of silence, I felt him shift and his hand gently placed on my head, his finger ran through my hair. I smiled and looked up at him.

“ _Beau matin, mon chérie_ ,” I murmured softly. “Did you sleep?”

“Yeah,” he said as he stretched. “Did you?”

“ _Oui_ ,” I smiled and yawned softly. “My hangover is gone and I’m feeling better already.”

“Good.”

We stayed in silence for a little longer, then I looked up at him. “Will you tell me now?”

“Tell you what?”

“What happened last night? Before my Ghost does.”

He gazed off, like he was pondering if he should tell me or not. “Listen, Angel, you were drunk, so you didn’t know what you were doing. I just don’t want this to change anything between us if I tell you.”

“ _Mon chérie_ , why are you hesitating?”

He shifted a bit. “Genny, you and I…” He held his head in his hands. “Fuck, this is really difficult to say.”

I could feel my face warming. “Mav…”

His hand gently ran over my hair and then rest on my shoulder. “Angel, I love you. Very much. You know that, right?”

“And you know I love you,” I replied.

“And I would never hurt you, you know.”

“I know.”

He sighed and nodded. “Okay… last night, when we all came back here, Skinner passed out in my room, so you and I stayed out here. We… kind of got a little hot and heavy if you know what I mean. We kissed. A lot. And, uh…” He shifted some more and I felt my heart start to race. I was starting to catch on.

“Mav… we didn’t… did we?”

“Oh, hell, no. I wouldn’t do that to you while you were drunk. But you… did let me touch your skin, even though I kept insisting that we should wait until you were sober, that way I knew if you actually wanted that, we could try, but only if you wanted to!” He averted his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. “This is sounding way worse than I hoped it would.”

“No!” I exclaimed. I took hold of both of his hands. “Maverick, listen to me. I love you very much. And yes, I think I’ve felt the same exact feelings you have, but I never said anything because… I’m terrified. So, yes, in my drunken mess, I was probably being more honest with you about how I feel.” My gaze softened and I looked up at him. “You are so, so kind to recognize that I wasn’t myself. Thank you, thank you for me honoring me and my…” I couldn’t think of the right word to say.

His thumb gently ran over my bottom lip. “Innocence?” He was smiling as if he felt relieved. “I would never break your trust like that, Angel, you have my word.”

I nodded, then stood, and then gently sat on his leg. He was looking at me with widened optics. One of his hands gently placed on my side. I leaned down and kissed him softly. He gladly reciprocated, and we stayed like that in silence. When we parted, I smiled softly and leaned my head on his shoulder. I curled up against him, and Mav held me close. I fell back asleep, curled up in his arms.


	27. The Promethean Code

I stirred a bit from my sleep the next morning when I felt my body being adjusted. I sighed quietly and rolled over. I was startled awake when the door then flew open, and hit the wall with a loud thud. Before the intruder could announce themselves, I threw a Thunderstrike their way and hit them square in the chest, killing him instantly. I jumped up, reached for my sword on the table, only it wasn’t there. It started to process in my brain that this wasn’t my apartment, it took me another moment to recognize the Ghost, and Maverick was holding in his laughter as he walked over and revived him. Skinner stood in the living room, staring me down like he was ready to stab me for it.

“Oh Fuck!” I exclaimed, my face flushing bright. “I’m so sorry Skinner! It’s a natural reflex!” I then turned to Maverick, who had a smug look on his face. “Why didn’t you wake me up and tell me he was coming?!”

“Because I wanted to see what would happen. And I was not disappointed.” he said trying to hide his laughter.

Skinner then looked at Maverick with revenge filled eyes and said, “Oh you cheeky motherfucker, I’ll get you back.”

“I’m sure you will, now that we’re all here we need to talk about our next mission.”

“Wait, what mission?” I asked.

“Well we have to go steal something.”

“Steal something? From who?”

“...From Rasputian…”

I must have been the only one in the room that was clueless, because I looked between both of them and they were staring at me expectantly. “Umm, who’s Rasputin?” I pressed.

“A Warmind.”

“A Warmind?” I was dumbfounded. Warminds are Golden Age Artificial Intelligence that connected the entire solar system through warsats, satellites, and weapons. “I thought they were lost during the Collapse?”

“Well, they were, until we activated the last array in Old Russia and reactivated him,” Maverick answered.

“He should be okay, right?” The thought of venturing into a Warmind made a pit form in my stomach. This may be familiar for Maverick and Skinner, but this was uncharted territory for me.

“After we ran Omnigul out of there, Zavala sent in a few teams to seal the vault. Only one team came back.” Skinner said, and promptly took a bow.

“Oh, then why are we going to a killer A.I. then?” I crossed my arms and glared at both of them. I didn’t like this idea one bit, but if there was no other way, then maybe we didn’t have a choice. 

“Because we are the only ones to come out alive in recent times.”

“Fair enough. So what’s the plan Mav?” I walked over to the table, where the two of them were standing over the mission summary that they got from Cayde.

“Well we land in the Forgotten Shore, make our way to his bunker, go in, find the codes, take the codes and get out. Should be simple enough, the Vault's been sealed since Omnigul, so nothing could have gotten in.”

“So let me get this straight.” I took a deep breath and rubbed my temples. _Why did mission summaries and plans always have to be discussed right after I woke up?_ “We're headed into the deadliest Golden Age Warmind and stealing from it?”

“That’s the gist of it yeah.”

I looked at the two of them, standing there as if this mission was no big deal, and sighed in defeat. “What have I gotten myself into with you guys?” 

“A lot of fun, duh.” Skinner cackled.

“Well let’s get going then.” I split off from them, giving Maverick’s hand a small squeeze before I left to get changed into my armor. Skinner must have noticed, because I could hear him giggling like a giddy schoolgirl and the muffled sound of their voices. I shook my head and smiled. As much as these guys had a tendency to lead me down suicide missions, I don’t think I could live a day without them anymore.

* * *

We all boarded our ships later on in the morning and flew out of the Hanger, though we stayed in the atmosphere and fell into formation. Our Ghosts synchronized our ships and we all set a course for the Forgotten Shore. Before we arrived Eris came over sounding both angry and concerned "Stealing from Rasputian… You are entering a world you do not understand."

"Don't worry about her Fireteam." Cayde interjected, "She's still mad about what you did to her ship. We need stealth tech to slip by the Taken and Warmind's bunker has the codes we need."

"Do you really think it should be this easy?" I asked Maverick.

"Honestly no," Mav sighed, "I can almost say for certain that we are going to see some Taken in there."

"But the Vault's been sealed for months!" Skinner protested. "There's no way Taken could have breached it."

"And that's where you're wrong, I've seen enough Taken coming out of thin air and the walls to know better. But for now let's hope we don't have to fight Taken."

We landed in the Forgotten Shore and Maverick asked, "Cayde how do you know Rasputian will still have the codes?"

"I already stole it once, used my last copy making that stealth drive you blew up. Eh, it was getting old anyways." He said.

We hopped on our sparrows and rode over the shore. I followed Maverick and Skinner to an old building, and we quickly dispatched the Fallen that were outside of it. We made our way to the bunker in the basement of the building. As we began to descend the stairs, it must have finally clicked with Maverick that we couldn’t get into the Vault if it was sealed.

"Cayde, how are we supposed to get inside?" He asked. 

"You've got the same bypass frequency that got me inside."

"He will protect his domain." Eris warned.

Maverick didn’t even have to input the codes, the doors opened on their own. As the door opened, we saw more Taken rifts and my heart sank. It was never going to be that easy. I reloaded my weapon and followed Maverick inside, Skinner bringing up the rear.

"More interdimensional goo, the Taken are here," Maverick reported.

"What? Not possible," Cayde said "We sealed the vault after the Omnigul breach."

“Cayde look at this.” He had his Ghost turn on a video feed to the Vanguard channel.

“Oh that does look bad. Okay, so if you see them ah, just shoot’em."

We make our way further into the vault and head toward the end of the hall before Taken started popping out of thin air as they normally do.

“How did they get in there?” Cayde asked.

“The Taken are not bound by terrestrial constraints.” Eris said.

“Yeah, I bet they’ll be constrained by terrestrial bullets.” Cayde added.

With that, we charged at the Taken. We cut down the Thrall and thinned their ranks. I hung back a bit and started sniping the Vandals and Captains towards that back of the room. The Vandals, however, became Maverick’s main aim of aggression. Most likely because they cast their own ward. Once everything was gone, I caught up to Skinner and Maverick and they led me further into the Vault. This place was familiar to them, they knew the halls like the back of their hands.

We began to push toward the end of the hall where more Taken began popping out. More Thrall, a Vandal, and a Captain. Captains have a tendency to throw literal Darkness blast at us, not to mention they teleport way too damn much, more than the Thrall do. When everything else was dead, Skinner and I stood next to each other, watching Maverick ruthlessly blast off the captain’s leg with his shotgun, let it collapse, before lining up his gun and blasting off it’s head.

“Really?” I asked. “Was that necessary?”

“What? He was pissing me off!” he snapped back.

“Nice one Mav!” Skinner said as he laughed and clapped at the display of aggression.

“Listen, Storm, if it was a normal Captain I would have shown it mercy. But these aren’t Fallen Captain’s anymore. Killing them is mercy at this point”

“Okay I’ll keep your word on that one,” I said in defeat. As much I hated the Taken and as much as my morals wanted to spare every creature, regardless of its nature, I knew he was right. “Now let’s keep moving.”

We continued through the bunker walking through what looked like a cooling chamber, most likely for the computer cores. 

Maverick’s Ghost commented, “I can’t believe the Taken can track us so easily. Oryx really does hate us.”

“Well you did kill his son.” Dawn pointed out.

“Yeah, please don’t remind me. Skinner and I have a small army after us to do the reminding for you.”

“Which is exactly why we’re here. We need those cloaking codes.” Cayde piped in.

We left the cooling room and took another left as a door opened for us. Rasputin was leading us right to his data center.

“Do you think Rasputian is guiding us to the codes?” I asked.

“It’s entirely possible, he probably recognizes us and the threat at hand.” Maverick replied.

We went through the door and more Taken came out to greet us. This seemed to be never ending. The Taken Centurions were interesting to deal with; they summon this seeking missile to try and kill us thankfully it's shootable, it’s very similar to my axion dart grenades.

We fight through them with little problems. After they’re all dead the next door unlocks and opens. We follow the door down to what looks like a power tunnel and more Taken Thrall popped in. We cut them down easily and proceeded to the only door in that room. The next area was a small intersection where we stopped to catch our breaths.

“Ugh I’m covered in Taken goo again!” I exclaimed in annoyance. I shook off my hands and watched it cake the wall. I wasn’t looking forward to cleaning my armor when we got back.

“Oh, _you’re_ covered in goo.” Mav muttered bitterly, and Skinner and I turned to face him. My eyes widened at the sight. Taken goo covered most of his armor.

Skinner almost died of laughter. “Oh no! Look out for the Taken Titan!”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed along with Skinner. “Wow, I thought I was covered but never mind.”

Maverick sighed. “Very funny, you guys.” He shook off his hands and wiped the goo off the face of his helmet. We used this time to take a breather; we reloaded our weapons and replenished our ammunition. We went to the open door. As with the other rooms, more Taken came to try and stop us. At this point, it was tiring

“Alright I’m done with these Taken. Skinner if you would please?” Mav asked, making a grandiose sweeping motion in front of him.

“My pleasure, Metal Man.” He said.

Shortly after, he brought out his knife and Arc Light swirled about his body. He then began to cut down all the Taken in the room and more that they came after the first wave. After they were all dead Skinner took a bow.

“Hope you two enjoyed the show! I know I enjoyed making it. It’s a shame though, I wanted to cut open one of those Vandals.”

I rolled my eyes at him and patted him on the shoulder as Maverick and I walked by. “Excellent work, Skinner.”

“Alright now, let’s go. We must be close.” 

We went through the door, and another… and another… and another… and another, until it finally opened up to the control center. "Really? How many damn doors does he need?" I commented, my annoyance clear in my voice. And just like that, Taken spawned into the room.

“Okay, enough's enough,” Maverick growled as Solar Light illuminated his entire body. With that, he pulled solar hammers out of thin air and threw them at the Psions and Centurions in the room. He cleared them out in no time.

“Cayde we’re clear which console are we looking for?” He asked as the Solar energy faded from his body. Skinner and I walked closer to him.

“Umm, the one in the back I think.” He said.

“Found it.”

“Alright, see what you can pull out of Rasputian. Hmm, there’s a joke there somewhere.”

Mav deployed his Ghost and it scanned the computer.

“These cryptosystems follow no logic I understand. I’m not sure it can be modified to work on a Guardian.” 

“Where do you think Bladedancers got their cloaking ability?” He said mockingly, “Grab the codes, I’ll upload my modifications.”

“If the Vanguard is satisfied, we can finally end this. Return to the Moon. Steal Crota’s soul.”

The three of us followed the path back out of the bunker; there were no Taken left to slow us down as we headed into the early afternoon sunlight and transmatted back into our ships.

“That was a successful mission if I do say so myself,” Maverick said over the private channel.

“Yes it was,” Skinner agreed. “And I’m, uh, I’m gonna head to the bar. I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.” He dropped out of the channel as silence fell between the Maverick and I.

When we landed in the Hanger, I turned to Maverick. “I’m going to head home to wash off all this goo. You’re welcome to join me for a pot of coffee.”

“I’m actually going to head home, too. Have a good night though, Angel.”

* * *

A few hours later I was sitting in my living area, glimmer piled on the table, and I was finishing up getting the Taken goo off of my armor. It was around midnight now and it was pouring rain outside. I sat back on the couch when I finished and yawned. I looked over at my Ghost. “Ghost, open a channel with Maverick.”

I waited a couple of minutes before he answered. “Yeah?” He asked aloud, like he didn’t really pay attention to who had called him, or that he was preoccupied with something.

“ _Allô, mon chérie_ ,” I said softly.

“Oh, Storm, hey… everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine.” I paused for a moment, and fiddled with the ends of my sleeves. “Mav… I know where we’re going tomorrow. Are you sure you guys are going to be okay.”

There was silence on his end.

“Mav?”

“I’ll be fine, Skinner will be fine. Don’t worry about it.” There was a chill in his voice that made me doubt him. “You should get some sleep.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Maverick…”

“Angel, please…” He was pleading with me now. “Get some rest.”

“Okay. _Je t’aime, mon chérie. Bonne nuit et fait de beaux rêves…_ ”*

“Good night, Angel.”

_\--- translations ---_

* I love you, my dear. Good night and sweet dreams...”


	28. Last Rites

I armored up the next morning, just after sunrise, and didn’t even make myself a cup of coffee. I only slept for a few hours, but I had been tossing and turning all night. Cayde and Amanda had worked all night to modify the stealth tech, and it was dropped off at Maverick’s earlier this morning. We were all meeting there to install the tech, then going to orbit to head towards the moon.

I left my apartment and walked to Maverick’s. The air was chilly and a thin mist hung in the air after last night’s storm. It almost suited the situation. I arrived at Maverick’s apartment and knocked on the door, and Skinner answered it almost instantly. 

“What took you so long?” He said in a teasing tone, but stepped aside to let me in.

I held up a finger to silence him as I stepped inside. “Shh… I skipped out on coffee to get here as soon as possible.”

“And that is why I have a pot on for you.” Maverick was hunched over, doing some final adjustments on his boots. I smiled softly and walked over to him, gently squeezed his shoulder, and kissed his head

“Thank you, you are a lifesaver.”

“Genny, send your Ghost over here,” Skinner called from the living room. After I poured a cup of black coffee, I held out my hand, my Ghost appeared and flew over to Skinner. He gently grabbed her out of the air, and held out his own Ghost. He was reading a code that his Ghost was displaying, and started to input it into my Ghost’s interface.

“Is that the stealth code?” I asked and took a sip of coffee. 

“Yup. Maverick and I took a while to figure out how to get them to work with our Ghosts, but it’s easier for me to install it on yours since I know how to this time.”

“Thanks, Skinner.”

Silence fell over the room. I could feel the tension rising in the room and I shifted uncomfortably. I could tell neither of them wanted to go back there. 

“Alright, there you go.” Skinner sent my Ghost back over to me. 

“Do the codes work?”

“Yup,” Maverick said. “We tried them out earlier. We should be all set to go back to the Hellmouth.”

I looked between the two of them, and they both looked equally uneasy. “Then let’s go,” I said firmly and finished off my cup of coffee. I knew I wasn’t the Fireteam leader, but someone had to get these two out of the apartment and onto our ships. “The sooner, the better.”

* * *

The three of us stood at the beginning of the Abyss, Maverick and Skinner were standing side by side ahead of me, their hands holding fast onto their weapons even though there wasn’t an enemy in sight. We approached a platform where two Wizards were chanting, but before I could even react, the Hunter and Titan unloaded their guns and the Wizards collapsed into piles of ash. I looked at them warily, but gave them a small nod regardless. I noticed something in one of the piles, the glint of something lost ages before. I approached the pile and brushed the ashes aside, revealing a dead Ghost. My eyes widened.

“Guys, what do you make of this?” I called out to them. No response. “Skinner? Maverick?” I looked up and saw that they were standing on the glowing plate, waiting for the bridge across the Abyss to form so that we could enter the Keyhole into Crota’s throne world. “Hey! Guys!”

“Please, Storm, let’s just get Crota’s essence and leave. I don’t want to come back here ever again,” Maverick said with a sigh. He didn’t even turn to look at me. He was in total focus mode on this mission.

“Yeah that would be great.” Skinner added.

I sighed in defeat, but tucked the Ghost into my robes for safe keeping. The Vanguard could identify whose Ghost it was if Maverick and Skinner didn’t know. I joined them on the plate. “Okay,” I said quietly. “I’ll just show you back at the ship.”

“Okay,” Cayde began over the Vanguard channel. “You’ve got the crystal. All you have to do now is fill it with Crota’s soul. The Hive are in the middle of some kind of funeral, so-”

“Not a funeral, a death ceremony,” Eris cut in. “Crota’s essence is being prepared for the next realm.”

“Right,” Cayde resumed. “So when you get to this ‘funeral’, Oryx will be watching close. Use Rasputian’s cloak to slip past the Taken. Find Crota’s soul, wrap it up, and get out.”

The bridge fully formed and solidified. I followed behind Maverick and Skinner as they began to cross. I stayed close to them with a firm grip on my hand cannon.

“Where exactly are we headed?” I asked, more toward Eris than my fireteam.

“When the Deathsingers begin their song, you’ll know we are close.”

“What she’s trying to say is that she doesn’t know. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my ear to the ground.” Cayde added.

“And I will try not to step on his head.” Eris commented.

I chuckled a bit at her comment, but Skinner and Mav didn’t even react.

Halfway toward the Keyhole, Cayde started again, “Stay out of sight, fireteam. We need you guys back alive. Ghosts, you have the frequency?”

“And your… modifications. We’ll be ready.” Mav’s Ghost said with doubt. None of us could blame him. Cayde’s modifications tend to have… malfunctions.

“Then move quietly and unseen… like death,” Eris said.

My Ghost sighed. I took one glance behind us just before we passed through the Keyhole, and saw the bridge disappear. _Well_ , I thought. _There’s no turning back now_. We entered the Keyhole and we were dropped into one of the two towers before the Bridge.

“Let’s hope this works,” Mav said. “Activate cloaking, Ghosts.”

After a small popping sound, we were gone from sight.

“I can’t see you!” I exclaimed quietly. “Can you guys see me?!”

“Well that’s good then, it’s actually working this time,” Skinner said with relief.

Cayde spoke over comms with a warning. “Keep your distance. They can’t see you, but they can still smell you. Eris can replace her ship—we can’t replace you guys.”

“I think he’s talking about you Metal Man,” Skinner snickered.

“Shut it Skinner, not now,” Maverick growled coldly.

“Cross the chasm. Enter their world.” Eris said.

I walked over to the edge of the platform and knelt down. Using my sniper’s scope, I gazed down and scanned the area. “Look down there,” I whispered to them. Maverick came over to me and I handed him my scope. “A tomb husk. I bet you that’s how we’re getting across this chasm.”

“I like it,” he said and handed the scope back to me. “Alright, Skinner, you get the husk, Storm and I will wait by the Bridge.”

“Oh I see how it is…” Skinner began to complain, but Maverick cut him off.

“No, I’m not sending you over there because I can!” He said in an angry whisper. “I’m sending you over there because you're better at stealth then us! Now please go get the husk.”

“Jeez! Fine, I’ll get it, asshole,” Skinner grumbled before we headed out to the Bridge. 

Maverick and I took cover behind a lamp near the bridge, out of sight and scent from the Hive Knights that were patrolling the area. “What’s with the blue and red Knights?”

“Well the Red Knights are Swordbearers when we killed them the first time they dropped their Sword. And the Blue Knights are the Gatekeepers and they can only be killed by the Ascendant Sword the Swordbearers carry.”

“Oh and the Gatekeepers…?”

“They're the ones that kill Enigma and Paradox,” he hissed. I could tell he was holding back his anger, and I gently placed a hand on his arm, squeezed genty, and let go.

Skinner ran up to us, holding the husk. “Here Mav, I got the husk.”

“Good now put it on that altar.”

He walked up to the altar and put it and as it faded the Bridge began to form. We crossed the bridge, snuck around the Gatekeepers that were pretty much guarding the doors, and ran over to the giant doors that led to Crota’s throne.

“Welp, time to open these loud ass doors.” Skinner groaned.

“Oh, come on, they couldn’t be _that_ loud,” I murmured softly.

“And that’s where you're wrong,” Maverick said. “Skinner, if you please.”

He touched the door and it very loudly began to open.

“You think they heard that?” I asked.

We began down the hall toward Crota’s Throne and the Deathsingers began their song. “The Deathsingers!” Eris exclaimed over the Vanguard channel. “They are preparing Crota’s soul for the next realm. Follow their cry. It was just as this when I walked in the dark. Their wretched songs in the wind as Eriana fell…”

We dropped down the hole and Maverick held up his hand to stop Skinner and I as Eris began speaking again. “Reach Crota’s tomb and take what remains of his soul.”

“There are a lot of tombs here—how do we find Crota’s?” Maverick asked.

“You’ll know it when you see it.”

Maverick looked around the room, then visibly stiffened and froze in his place when he turned to us. He was looking right through us. Skinner and I turned around, and I felt my heart sink. There were the bodies of two Hunters against the back wall, one was completely severed in half, and the other had a Hive Cleaver pierced through his chest. Empty bullet casings and spent magazines littered the ground all around us. Between the two of them were the remains of two Ghost shells, shattered into pieces, but their cores were recognizable and intact. Maverick and Skinner both walked towards them, and I felt myself frozen in my place. It was Paradox and Enigma, if I could guess it was anyone. Maverick fell to his knees and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. I walked closer slowly, but I gave him a bit of space at the same time. He did the same for me when my team was found. When we found them on Phobos.

“I failed you two.” Maverick started quietly. There was tense pain in his voice. “I promised you guys that I would always be by your side. No matter what. And I failed at that. I haven’t been able to forgive myself for this and I still can’t.” His shoulders were trembling. Skinner and I knelt on either side of him.

“Come on Mav.” Skinner began. “We’ve got to get this mission done.”

“Look at the bright side, _mon chérie_ , at least you have us.” I said, trying to make light of the situation. He still had people to fight for. At the time that I lost my team, I had lost everything. It was hard for me because there was no one left. But it must be even harder for him because he lost them when he couldn’t make the sacrifice that Gilly made for me.

“Storm you know how this feels.” He snapped in an almost statically cold voice. I winced at the harshness of his tone. “ _Your_ leader got _you_ out. He got you out because _you_ have so much more to do. Fireteam leaders are supposed to make sure their team makes it back alive. Even if they don’t. I should be here with the Sword through this STUPID ROBOTIC FRAME!” He almost began yelling, he only lowered his voice when he realized he could have alerted the Hive. “If you didn’t stop me, Skinner, I would be here with them, and only you would have made it out.”

He collapsed in the pool of Hive gunk in defeat, his head in his hands. His body was trembling. I felt so bad for him. He couldn’t express emotions, he couldn’t grieve like I could.

Skinner placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly. “No, I wouldn’t Maverick. If you stayed with them and the events played out the same, I would’ve been with Vision and would’ve died in this Pit. They told you to stay with us because they knew if you stayed with them, we would have all died instead of just half of us.”

“He’s right Maverick,” I reassured. “But now we need you, you’re still our leader and we can do this. Together.”

Shortly after the pep talk Skinner and I gave him, Maverick regained his composure, collected the cores of Paradox’s and Enigma’s Ghosts, and stood. He walked toward the hall, scanned the area, and pointed at the floating coffin ahead. “There, that’s Crota’s tomb, let's get the essence.”

Skinner and I nodded and we started to follow Maverick. We avoided the Hive walking around so we didn’t get smelled out. We walked up to the tomb silently and Maverick whispered over the Vanguard channel, “We found it, Eris, what’s next?”

“Let the crystal drink deep from Crota’s essence.”

Maverick was holding the crystal, and looked at Skinner and I from over his shoulder. He motioned for us to wait where we were, and walked up to the coffin. My heart squeezed and I took a step towards him, but Skinner held my arm and shook his head. He was right under the Deathsingers.

“It’s working!” Maverick gasped quietly. “How much do we need to pass as an Ascendent Hive?” 

“Only a taste, but steal all you can.”

Skinner and I were getting antsy just from standing there, but all of a sudden Maverick’s cloaking failed and he appeared underneath the coffin. “Maverick!” I shouted, and Skinner immediately covered my mouth after. He and I were still cloaked. 

“Somethings wrong! I’m exposed!” Maverick shouted as the Deathsingers began to scream.

“Lock for transmat! Get out of there!” Cayde yelled over the channel. 

“We must have Crota’s soul!” Eris yelled.

“You’ve got enough!! Lock for transmat, Ghosts!”

“I can’t!” Maverick’s Ghost exclaimed. “Everything is corrupted!!”

My heart was pounding and I could feel the blood draining from my face. We were stuck here. It was like walking into a nightmare as Hive began to run out of the doorways behind us.

“I can’t connect… Stay alive! We’ve got to make it back!” Maverick's Ghost said with a panic filled voice.

“Bring down the gun!” Maverick shouted to his Ghost

“Now?!” 

“Yes NOW!” A gun appeared in his hands in place of his Auto Rifle. Then he turned to us. “Skinner, cover us!” Skinner nodded, took out his knife, and began taking down the Thrall that were running towards us one by one, under the cloak of darkness. He looked like a shadow as the Thrall fell to the ground.

“Storm, Thunderstrike me with everything you got!”

“What?! Why?” I looked at Maverick in disbelief. Now of all times, he wanted me to hit him with everything I had? 

“Just trust me! Do it!”

I nodded and swallowed hard, drew all the energy I could from my entire body, and thrust my hand forward. However, instead of a normal thunderstrike, all of the Arc energy in my body shot forward towards him in a concentrated beam. I held my wrist steady with my opposite hand and I felt my feet lift off the ground a couple of inches. I don’t know what came over me, but when the beam faded I collapsed to one knee, breathing heavy. I was lucky that my cloaking didn’t fail.

Skinner rushed over to me and helped me stand up. “Storm, are you alright?” He asked me, his voice filled with worry and awe. 

I nodded my head and held up my hand. “I’m fine,” I said quietly. I looked over at Maverick, it was him that I was worried about. The gun he was holding emitted green flames out its sides. Maverick looked over at us. 

“Now can you two connect to your transmat?”

We checked with our Ghosts and saw that the link was able to pull us out of the area. The two of us nodded in sync.

“Good now get out of here while you can!”

“NO!” I shouted without hesitation. “We’re not leaving you here alone! 

“We’re a team, Maverick!” Skinner added, “We stick together!”

“I’m not asking, I’m giving you an order.” He snapped as Taken blights began to materialize. He said something to his Ghost quietly, then turned his back to us.

All of a sudden I could feel myself starting to transmat out of there. “NO!” Skinner and I both shouted at once, just before we were teleported out of the Throne Room and back to the towers just before the bridge to get into Crota’s Throne, and the bridge had deconstructed. We couldn’t get back to him. Our cloaking failed shortly after we had landed.

I collapsed to the ground and felt dread gripping my entire body. I pulled my knees to my chest and started sobbing. Why would he send us away when we could help him? Why would he try to do it alone? 

“No…. no… no…” I held onto my helmet and pulled my limbs in close to my body.

“Storm!” It was Skinner. “Thank the Traveler you’re okay.”

I looked up at him. My entire body was shaking. “He sent us away,” I cried. “Why? Why would he do that? He’s going to die in there!”

The Hunter was quiet as he knelt down beside me. “C’mon, Storm. Maverick’s tough. He’s going to make it out.” He looked away from me, towards the door to Crota’s Throne. “He… He has to.”

“But what if he doesn’t!” I shouted through my tears. “What if his Ghost can’t get a lock on for transmat and he can’t get out!”

He stared at me for a moment, then sighed. “I don’t know, Storm,” he admitted. “We just have to have a little hope.”

“There’s nothing left,” I whispered. “I lost hope when I lost my fireteam. You guys… you guys gave me hope again. Maverick… oh, _mon chérie, mon amour, je ne peux pas te perdre, pa comme ça… pas comme ça… reviens-moi s'il te plaît…._ ”*

Skinner and I sat quietly. I couldn’t stop crying, not even when my cries turned into strangled, stifled sobs and hiccups. Skinner was trying to keep me calm and kept rubbing circles on my back. I don’t know how long we sat there in silence. Both of our Ghosts were insisting that we should go back to our ships, but we couldn’t find it in us to leave. This entire time, we had no connection to the Vanguard Channel, like the signal was stuck in that room with Maverick. We couldn’t even tell them that we had gotten out alive, or that Maverick was still stuck in there. 

All of a sudden, we heard the whurr of a transmat, and both of our heads shot up. Maverick was on the ground, starting to sit up. His armor was beaten and splattered with Hive blood. 

“You… You pulled me out!” He said in shock. He slowly stood to his feet

“One of Toland’s tricks…” Eris responded with panicked relief as Skinner and I joined back into the Vanguard Channel. “There is nothing I fear more than the Dark, but I will not lose another Guardian. You’ve imprisoned the last whisper of Crota’s soul. It is left to you now. Find Oryx on the Dreadnaught. Destroy him.”

“You asshole!” Skinner yelled and jumped up from my side. His hands were clenched into fists. But instead of throwing a knife into his face, like he normally would, he embraced the Titan tightly.

“I thought I lost you. _We_ thought we lost you.” He said before taking him just out of my earshot. I looked away from them. Even though he was out alive and in one piece, I was still crying. My heart still hurt. I was upset that he sent us away, angry that he made us leave him; I couldn't bear to look at him, and yet, I was flooded with relief that he was alive.

Maverick walked over and sat next to me. “Storm, I’m…” He started, but before he could continue, I hugged him tightly. He almost didn’t know what to do for a moment, but he wrapped his arms around me regardless.

“I thought I lost you, _mon chérie_ ,” I whimpered. “Why? Why did you send us away before we could help?” I felt betrayed all over again. How could I put my trust in someone who wasn’t able to trust me?

“I… I wasn’t going to get three people killed. So I wasn’t going to risk it, but I now realize that was foolish,” he admitted.

“Yeah, no shit it was foolish,” Skinner scoffed.

“And why did you have me Thunderstrike you?” I asked as we pulled out of our hug. “Or… whatever I managed to do. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Well not exactly,” he said as he pulled out the weapon. “It needed a supercharge and only you, a Stormcaller, could charge it. I knew I wouldn’t survive without it.”

Dawn appeared at my shoulder, scanned the gun, and immediately started to yell at him. Even I looked at her in shock. “Do you know what you’ve created, Maverick!?”

“What are you talking about?” Maverick asked with a shake of his head.

“ _Don’t_ play stupid with me! You _knew_ what her Light would do to the gun!”

“ _Mon chérie_ ,” I said and got Maverick’s attention away from my Ghost. “What is that weapon?”

Before he could answer, my Ghost cut him off. “It’s a _Weapon of Sorrow_! This one feeds on the owner’s anger and aggression!”

“And that’s how I survived!” He snapped at my Ghost. “It’s the only reason I’m alive!”

“But can you control the weapon?” Dawn was in his face, accusing him of some crime I didn’t know existed. “Or will it control you?!” I reached out and gently grabbed her shell, pulling her back away from him.

“Dawn, calm down,” I said softly. I paused a moment and looked at Maverick. “Can you? Can you control it?”

“I’ll control it. I’ve told my own Ghost the same thing. And don’t bother telling the Vanguard, they know. Now can we all please go home? I really don’t want to be here anymore.” 

“Yeah I’m with you Mav.” Skinner said.

“Me too.” I agreed. “I… I want to go home.”

\---translations---

* “My sweetheart, my love, I can’t lose you... no like this... not like this... come back to me, please...”


	29. Vision

We landed in the Hanger, greeted by the Vanguard and Eris. I pulled off my helmet and walked straight by them. My eyes were still puffy from all of the crying. 

“Genesis…” Ikora said, and reached out to grab my arm, but I moved out of her reach. “Guardian.” She followed me out of the Hanger, and managed to stop me in the hall between the hanger and the plaza. “Genesis, stop!” She demanded. I stopped in place and turned around to face her. She took one look at my face and I saw her expression soften.

“What happened on the Moon?”

I gazed at her, but I felt like I was void of emotion. “Ikora,” I said quietly. “Your Vanguard built a team of Guardians who are fueled by both grief and vengeance. Maverick sent Skinner and I away in the hopes that we would make it out alive and he was willing to die in there. We could have helped him. He’s only alive because Eris pulled him out with some kind of dark magic.” I took a step back and shook my head. “And you wonder why I have issues trusting people. The moment I let myself get close, I lose them.”

“But you didn’t lose him, Genesis,” she said. “He’s alive.”

“Today. He made it out alive, today. But what about tomorrow? Or the next time our situation gets tight?”

I walked away before waiting for her response. It was raining in the Last City. I didn’t even stop at the Postmaster, I just took the elevator down to the City and went straight home. When I got home, I stripped out of my armor and took a long, very much needed hot shower. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Maverick just before he sent Skinner and I to safety. His sacrifice for us could have cost him his life, and we wouldn't have even known. I shuddered at the thought of that. If he had died in there, Skinner and I would still be on the Moon waiting for him, and this war would be lost.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off, then slipped into something more comfortable. I grabbed my glimmer and walked back downstairs, piled my armor on the coffee table, tied my hair up out of my face, and started to clean everything. I had my Ghost put on some music to help me drown out any outside noise. While cleaning my robes, I found the dead Ghost I had tucked inside. I almost forgot about it. I cleaned off any remains of the Wizard’s ashes and set it inside the drawer of my side table for safe keeping.

Halfway through cleaning my gauntlets, there was a knock on my door. I paused for a minute before answering, despite not wanting to see anyone right now. When I opened the door, Maverick stood outside, hands shoved in his pockets, hood pulled over his head to protect himself from the rain. I took one look at him and started to close the door immediately. 

“Angel, wait,” he said quickly, his hand catching the door before I could close it. “I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer.”

“I know,” I said. “I really don’t want to talk right now, Maverick…”

“Which is exactly why we have to,” he pleaded.

“I don’t have to do anything!” 

“Angel, please.” He looked down at me, red eyes staring deep into mine. My shoulders sank and I sighed, and released my hand off of the door. He stepped inside and closed the door behind himself, then pulled off his soaked sweatshirt.

“What do you need, Maverick?” I asked as I walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch. I picked up where I left off with my gauntlets. I didn’t even want to look at him. He must have noticed this because I heard him sigh before he walked over and took the glimmer and gauntlet out of my hands, set them down, and then sat down next to me. I just sat there for a moment, empty hands still where they had been, before I sighed and let them drop in my lap.

“Angel, I’m sorry,” he started, and gently took hold of my hands. 

I pulled my hands out of his and stood, and walked over to the window. I hugged myself tightly. I hated being this cold to him, but I couldn’t forgive him for what he did. “Are you?” I accused. “What are you sorry for?”

“For thinking that sending you out of there was the best thing I could do!” He shouted. I winced at the sound of anger in his voice. “For thinking that I could maybe accept the fact that I let my old team die if I saved you guys.” His hands gently placed on my shoulders and turned me around to face him. I gazed up at him, though it was obvious that I was still trying to avoid his gaze “I get that you’re angry,” he said in a softer tone. “I get that what I did wasn’t right.”

“You’re damn right it wasn’t right,” I muttered.

“It… it wasn't fair to you.”

I felt tears start to bud at the corners of my eyes. I averted my gaze and pulled away from the Exo. “I thought you were dead, Maverick,” I said, my voice tense and choked by tears. I walked across the room to give myself some distance. “I thought you were gone. It was like Phobos all over again. What were you thinking?!” I picked up a book from the table and turned, throwing it at him even though I missed. “We are a _team_ , you idiot!” I chucked one of the throw pillows on my couch at him, and it bounced pathetically off his chest. “Teams don’t split up! Teams don’t take on literal hordes of enemies alone! Teams _trust_ each other to have their back!” I grabbed my cup of coffee and threw it at him, missed again, and it shattered against the wall. “I can’t believe you! You could have died there, and Skinner and I would never have known!” 

“I know, but if you would just listen to me for a sec—” Maverick started to approach me slowly, his hands held out in surrender.

“No!” I shouted. “You listen to me!” I started to feel lightheaded from all of the shouting and crying. “You promised me that you would never leave me. I trust you to have my back, no matter what.” He was standing directly in front of me now, gently took hold of my wrists, and helped me sit down before my legs could give out. I took a deep breath and sighed. “ _Mon chérie_ , I trust you with everything, in the field and out of it. But can you trust me?”

His hand brushed my hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. “I do,” he said quietly. Relief flooded over my body. “It was… it was just that place. I lost everyone that I cared about there. I… I didn’t want to lose anyone else.”

“And we didn’t want to lose you. You’re not a one man band, Mav, you understand that, right?”

He looked down and gave me a silent nod.

I pulled my hands away and wiped my cheeks dry. “Promise me, Maverick, you won’t ever do that to me again. I cannot lose you, _mon amour_ , it would be the end of me.”

“I promise, Angel. I don’t want to risk losing you again.”

He pulled me against his chest in an embrace. I welcomed it without hesitation and nestled myself against him. He held onto me tightly, like I would slip away if he let me go.

After minutes of silence and reconciliation, I had finally found it in me to forgive him.

* * *

“Oh!” I exclaimed after we spent some time relaxing. “I almost forgot!” I sat up and reached over Maverick to the end table, then pulled out the Ghost. “When we first landed, one of the Wizards you killed dropped this. I tried to get your attention to tell you guys, but you were so focused on the mission that… you dismissed me.” I sat back down and held it out for Maverick. The look on his face was unmistakable: he knew who’s Ghost it was.

“This… This was Vision’s Ghost,” he said as he took it from my hands. “It was taken by a Wizard in the Abyss. One of the Wizards we killed…. it dropped this?”

“Yes it did drop it, I had to brush it off, though it was still covered in the Wizard’s ashes.” I said.

“Hold on,” he said and pulled out his Ghost. “Open a line with Skinner.” He put his Ghost on an open call so I could hear.

“What do you want Mav?” Skinner asked. He sounded annoyed.

“You have Vision’s current address right?”

“Yeah, I’m actually with him now so I’ll call you back.”

“I have his Ghost.” Mav blurted before he could hang up. Skinner must have had us an open call as well, because a second person on Skinner’s end of the call butt in. It must have been Vision.

“He _what_!?” Vision shouted. “Maverick you get your ass over here right now! Skinner send him the address.”

“Alright! Here’s the address, Mav, don’t be late.” Skinner said before cutting the channel.

We sat in silence for a moment. “So I finally get to meet Vision?” I asked.

“And I get to see him for the first time since the Pit,” he replied, though his voice was laced with concern and worry.

“Come on, Maverick, he’ll be happy to see you,” I reassured him. “Where’s the address placing him?”

“In the part of the City for Ex-Guardians, Guardians that have either lost their Light or aren’t mentally fit for active duty anymore.”

“Oh they made a part of the city for just them?” I was intrigued. I had no idea that the Vanguard had organized this for Guardians that were essentially discharged from the Vanguard, or Lightless. “Why?”

“A lot of them are unstable. Being faced with your own mortality takes a toll after a while, you know? We should be heading out, though, the storm is only supposed to get worse and I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Well then, let’s get ready and go.”

I grabbed a jacket and pulled up the hood, and slipped Vision’s ghost in my pocket. Maverick pulled his sweatshirt back on as I slipped on my combat boots. Maverick waited for me on the front steps while I closed up the apartment. We started down the street; I was pressed close to Maverick’s side. I took his hand and squeezed it gently, trying to give him a feeling of reassurance. He squeezed my hand back, but I could tell he was nervous and hesitant.

* * *

By the time we made it to the sector, it was down pouring. I was wearing a windbreaker, but I was chilled to the bone. Water dripped off my hood and down my nose. I crossed my arms and hugged myself as Maverick approached the Guard post that was at the gate. This sector really was secluded and set apart from the rest of the city, it was almost a pity that these Guardians were stuck here.

“Who will you be seeing today, Guardian?” the watchmen asked.

“Samuel, from Fireteam Insurgent, I’m Maverick-8, the Fireteam’s leader,” Maverick replied. The watchman’s eyes widened.

“Oh, um, hold on.” he said before walking into the booth.

He walked out a few minutes later. “He’s waiting for you at the address he gave you. You may proceed.” he said as the gate opened.

“Thank you.” Maverick turned and motioned for me to follow him. I walked up and followed close behind him, nodding to the watchman. He looked like he wanted to stop me and ask for my identification, but seeing as I was with Maverick, he didn’t ask questions.

We walked the streets through the pouring rain. My breath puffed out in front of me in a thin white cloud. Maverick wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I promise, we’re almost there,” he said quietly. 

Most houses were lit inside, though almost everyone’s curtains were drawn closed. The people here seemed to like their seclusion, at least. I wouldn’t blame them, though. They had lost everything, and weren’t able to move on. If I hadn’t met Maverick and Skinner, I would probably be living here, too. I plunged my hands into my pockets and grasped tightly onto Vision’s Ghost. I didn’t have the chance to give my friends a proper burial, nor could I ever return their Ghosts to them. I wanted to believe that giving Vision his Ghost would allow me to reconcile that.

We arrived at a small duplex, the lawn was uncut, but the house itself was very well maintained. Vision seemed to take pride in keeping the house in shape. It was probably one of the few things he had left that he could control. Maverick and I climbed the steps, the Titan in front of me, and he knocked on the door. Skinner opened it. There was a cold stare in his eyes as he laid eyes on Mav. It was obvious he still hadn’t forgiven him for what happened in the Hellmouth. He looked over at me and nodded. 

“I see you two have made up,” he said. “Storm, wait here. It… it’s better if you guys come in one at a time.” He opened the door up more, and motioned Maverick inside. Maverick sighed, like he was preparing for the worst, then stepped inside. Skinner looked at me one more time, gave me a small nod, then closed the door behind him.

I stared at the closed door for a moment. My heart was pounding. I felt like an idiot just standing there, staring at the door, so I took a seat on the top step underneath the overhang. My leg bounced nervously.

“You don’t need to be so nervous,” Dawn said.

I could hear them start arguing inside and I let out a long sigh. “Are you sure?” It sounded like Maverick and Vision, with Skinner butting in every now and then. Their words were muffled, but it sounded like they were arguing about Maverick’s actions in the Hellmouth.

She didn’t give me a response. I pulled Visions Ghost out of my pocket and gazed down at the empty shell. It was like holding Adam’s corpse all over again. I clasped it in both of my hands and gently rested my chin on top of it. The arguing inside calmed down. I must have sat outside for five minutes before the door opened. I turned and looked over my shoulder, but it wasn’t Skinner or Maverick. 

“So you’re the Warlock that took my spot on the team?” Vision asked. It was more of a statement than a question. We both knew the answer. “I’m Samuel, or just Sam, the team called me Vision. What’s your name?”

I went to stand up, but Vision came down and sat next to me “Genesis. They call me Storm. Previously, I was called Long Shot.”

“Previously?”

I shifted a bit and looked down at the Ghost in my hands. “Yeah… previously. I… I lost my team, too.”

Vision followed my gaze and saw his dead Ghost in my hands. He didn’t say a word at first, so I reached over and gently took hold of his hand with my free one. I felt his muscles tense, like he was ready to pull away. I met his gaze for a moment, waited for him to calm, then looked down again. I flipped his hand over, opened his palm, and placed the Ghost in his hand. 

“I believe this is yours,” I said quietly. 

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, well, it’s no use to me anymore. But thanks. For finding it.”

I smiled at him and nodded. “It’s only right that it comes back to you.”

We sat in silence for a moment. It felt… right, actually. It was almost comforting. 

“Skinner tells me Maverick says he loves you,” Vision said out of nowhere. “And that’s saying something for a guy that really can’t feel, but only remembers what feeling is like.”

I couldn’t help the smile that came to my lips. Vision noticed this immediately. “And clearly, you love him. He’s a reckless piece of shit, but he’s a damn good leader and friend. I wish it was just easier for me to tell him that.”

“Well,” I said and turned to him. “It wouldn’t be bad if you let him see you every now and then. He misses you, you know.”

Visions eyebrows raised in shock. “Really? He has a funny way of showing it. While I was trying to get used to being Lightless and almost totally blind, he was off… somewhere. I thought he didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“That’s not true. He wants to reconnect with you. You’re still family to him, you know.” He looked at me skeptically. I laughed a bit. “Look, I may have taken your spot on the team, but can anyone ever replace a Titan’s best friend? Especially if said friend is another Titan? C’mon, Sam,” I nudged his shoulder in a playful manner. “No one could ever really replace you.”

I could tell he wanted to smile, but he just looked away and his expression turned blank. “Yeah, well, bridges are harder to build after they’ve been burned.”

“Yeah… I know.” I looked out to the street. “I should go. You guys have a lot to talk about, and I don’t want to get in the way of you and Skinner telling Maverick that he needs to stop thinking like a Titan and start thinking like a team leader.”

Now he was laughing. “You sound like you’ve already tried.”

“Oh I have. I threw a couple things at him in the process. Ikora says I have a temper. I think I got through to him, but he might need a reminder from you guys.” I stood up and stepped down a couple steps. I turned and looked at the ex-Guardian who was still sitting there, his hands gripping tightly to his dead Ghost. “It was nice to finally meet you, Samuel.”

“Vision,” he said firmly. “I said the team calls me Vision. You _are_ a part of the team now, Storm. Don’t forget that.”

I nodded and smiled at him. “I know,” I said quietly. I looked past him and caught a glimpse of Skinner and Maverick in the window before they scurried away from it. I turned my attention back to Vision. “If it wasn’t for this team, I’d be living here, too. _Bonne nuit, mon ami_.”* There was a look of disbelief in his eyes for a moment, but I left before he could respond.

\---translations---

*Good night, my friend.


	30. Trepidation

When I finally got home, I was chilled to the bone and soaked through my clothes. The rain had only gotten heavier as the night went on. I ran a warm bath to warm up before I did some painting and went to bed. As I soaked in the water, I could feel dread starting to grip my heart and make a pit form in my stomach. Our mission in the morning posed so much risk. So much could go wrong.

I walked downstairs after drying my hair and putting on the sweats and tee that I had snagged from Maverick a week ago when I stayed at his place. I set up my painting table in front of one of the blank walls of my apartment. I pulled a sketch out of my journal and clipped it to my easel. It was a sketch I had done a couple of weeks back when Maverick and I went to his secret hideout on Venus. The view we had there was something I would never forget, but I wanted to immortalize it on my walls. I only got through the base colors by the time the sun had set and I was starting to feel tired. I sat back on my stool and yawned aloud, arms outstretched over my head. 

Unfortunately, there was still a pit deep in my stomach that left me feeling unsettled by the time I finally climbed into bed.

The entire night I kept tossing and turning. I could barely sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Adam, Gilly, or Maverick. Adam’s face was always covered in blood and there was a resigned look in his green eyes, like he had accepted that death was his fate. Gilly’s body was beaten and broken, just like he was when I found him on Phobos. And Maverick… all I could see was him surrounded by Taken as he sent us away. I sat up in bed and ran my hands through my hair.

“ _Peu de lumiere_?” I called out. She appeared in the room beside me, her eye a comforting blue glow in the room.

“Yes, Guardian?”

“Open a channel with Maverick, please.”

She gave me a small bob for a nod, then opened up the communication link. I waited for him as I sat in silence, hugging myself for warmth.

“Yeah?” Maverick finally answered. He sounded distracted, like he was in the middle of doing something. I opened my mouth to answer, but no words would come out. I had no words to say. “Angel?” His voice was laced with concern now. “Angel, are you there?”

I swallowed hard to try and clear the lump in my throat. “Yeah…” my voice was raspy and barely a whisper. “ _Mon cherie_ …”

There was silence for a moment. “I’m on my way,” He said and closed the link.

I sat there in silence for a moment in disbelief. How did he know? I leaned back against the wall for a moment, then went downstairs and unlocked the door for him. Before I even got halfway back up the stairs, I heard the door open and close. I turned around and there he was, armored up, but he was already starting to remove his helmet.

“I could tell something was wrong so I got here as quickly as I could. Is everything alright?”

I simply shook my head and motioned for him to follow me. He was right behind me as we went upstairs. He followed me into my room and I walked up to the windows. The only lights in here were coming from the City outside. Everyone slept peacefully, unaware of what waited for them outside of the walls. No one knew of our mission tomorrow. No one knew how much was at risk. Maverick set his helmet down on top of one of my many piles of books. He proceeded to remove the rest of his armor, then finally walked up beside me. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, and I think he noticed that I was clutching onto the sleeves of the clothes he let me wear that I never returned.

“Angel, what’s wrong?” He pressed. I shrugged my shoulders, but I could feel tears starting to burn in my eyes. I covered my mouth with one hand. Without a word, he gently guided me back over to my bed and we sat down side by side. He wrapped his arms around me.

“Can’t sleep? Nightmares again?” He asked.

I nodded slowly and lowered my hand. “They’re getting worse. So much is on our shoulders. The weight of the world… the fate of humanity…”

He sighed, but nodded in understanding. “It’s almost over.”

“Maverick, what if we can’t get back?” I asked. “If we go through that portal, and it locks us inside without any communication with the Vanguard, are we going to be stuck in there? If anything happens to any of us in there, and we don’t make it out, no one will ever know. I can’t bear the thought of one of us not making it out…” 

“Stop it!” He snapped. He reached up and held the sides of my face and gazed into my eyes. “We _will_ make it out, we _will_ put an end to this, and we _will_ succeed. Do you understand me?” His voice was stern, but I could see the concern in his eyes. He was worried, too.

I took a few deep breaths and then gave him a small nod once I had calmed down. “Okay,” I mumbled. “I trust you, _mon cherie_ , I trust you.”

He nodded and pulled me close against his chest. I sank into the warmth of his embrace. After several minutes of silence, I could feel my eyelids growing heavy. Maverick noticed this, so he helped me climb into bed and tucked me in. But still, I was terrified to go to sleep. I reached out and gently grabbed onto his hand. The Exo Titan stopped and turned to look back at me, but there was a semblance of understanding in his expression.

“Tread carefully, Genesis…” My Ghost warned. I ignored her completely.

“Please, don’t leave,” I whispered softly.

He smiled, then climbed into the bed beside me. We cuddled up together without hesitation, like it was the most natural thing to do. His arms wrapped lazily around my hips and I curled up against his chest. Even Maverick let out a yawn.

“Wow…” I said with a small giggle. “Even you’re tired.”

“Well, it has been a very, very long past couple of days. And I do still need to sleep to let my system recharge. And I won’t lie, there is nothing more I want to do right now than to spend a night with you here.”

I smiled and closed my eyes as his mouth piece pressed against my head. I looked up at him and gently pressed my lips onto his, relishing in this moment of peace that we had together before the chaos began again.

We finally parted and I tucked my head against his chest. “Good night, _mon cherie_ ,” I mumbled softly.

“Good night, Angel.”


	31. Regicide

I woke the next morning and the bed beside me was cold. I sat up and yawned. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window. My hair was messy and my eyes looked tired. I stretched my arms and then ran my hands through my hair. I didn’t know that Maverick had left me last night. I slept far too well. Better than I had in weeks. I rolled out of bed and grabbed a robe. My apartment was chilly. The temperature was dropping day by day as the seasons were changing. Winter was fast approaching. I pulled on the robe as I walked down the stairs slowly, only to be met with the sound of sizzling food and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen, and there Maverick was, cooking breakfast at the stove. His Ghost was talking to him, telling him how to cook whatever he was making. I smiled to myself and leaned against the door frame. I didn't say a word.

“Be careful Maverick, you’re going to burn it!” His Ghost scolded.

“I don’t know! I’m really trying, okay! Now hush before you wake her up.”

I watched as he flipped the spatula in his hand and heard the pan sizzle. I smiled softly and walked into the kitchen, my bare feet silent on the floor. The table was set with orange juice, plates, and silverware. I was so flattered by his lavish attempts at making me breakfast. 

I walked up beside him and gently wrapped one of my arms around his back. He jumped a bit and looked down, and he smiled at the sight of me. I peered around to see what he was making, he was making French toast. “Turn the heat down,” I said as I reached around and turned the knob on the stove to medium-low, where he had it at medium-high. “It will cook evenly that way.”

“Well good morning, Angel,” he said happily. “Did you sleep alright?”

I shifted around and hugged him from behind, my head leaning against his back. “Mmm… better than I have since all of this started. You think the Vanguard would be okay with us breaking protocol like this?”

“Ikora and Cayde, maybe. They both have sympathy for you and I, and I know Ikora knows about us. You know, because her Hidden are everywhere. And Cayde’s, well, Cayde. He loves breaking rules. But Big Blue? No way in hell.”

“That’s still two-to-one.”

“Yes it is.”

He moved around me and over to the table, then dished out the food to each of us. At least, more for me than himself. We sat down together and ate breakfast mostly in silence. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon relaxing in the living room. Maverick was telling me stories about his adventures that he hid from the vanguard. I was sketching on a bunch of loose leaf, and the papers were scattered all around the room. He was sitting on the corner cushion, I was laying on my back, head in his lap, knees propped up with my sketchpad resting on my thighs. I could feel myself dozing off every now and then as he played with my hair, and he would wake me by either gently ticking me or giving me soft kisses. I didn’t even think about our impending mission, but as the day rolled on, I was becoming more and more anxious.

I didn’t even want to put my armor on. I was dreading this mission. When it was reaching three o’clock and we were going to have to meet the vanguard in a few hours. At least, Maverick was. He was to get the mission briefing before we left for the Dreadnaught. Skinner and I were going to be waiting for him in Orbit.

While I was armoring up, taking my time, dreading each piece that I pulled on, Maverick came into my bedroom. I only had my pants and boots on so far, so I was only wearing the form fitting undershirt. I looked up at him and gave him a wary smile. He walked over to me quietly and knelt down in front of me. 

“It’s almost over,” he said quietly. “We are almost there. This is it, Angel.”

“I know,” I replied. “I just… I have a really bad feeling…”

“Me too.” He took my hands in his and squeezed them gently. “But we will win, I promise you. We'll make it out, together, as a team.”

I nodded. “I know. You should be heading out to the Vanguard, I’ll be waiting in orbit with Skinner.”

“I know… Meet Skinner in the Hanger. We’re all riding in on my ship. I’ve given you both access to it. He’s going to take it to Orbit and I’ll be meeting you there.”

I nodded as he walked out of my room. I finished gearing up, took my Monte Carlo, 1000-Yard Stare, and Choleric Dragon SRT-49, and left my apartment. I was listening to some pre-Golden Age music records that I had found a long time back, the date on the record somewhere in the 1940s. But it was Frank Sinatra, and the jazzy, vocal pop vibes gave me a sense of freedom and never failed to calm me down. I met Skinner in the Hanger, my heart feeling lighter, my hope for victory stronger. Light always prevails in Darkness. For there is no darkness without light.

“Well, you seem to be in a better mood than just about everyone I know,” Skinner commented as he approached me. “Nice to see that someone on our team is hopeful.”

I smiled at him, but it was hollow. I could feel the pit in my stomach growing. “I have to hold tightly onto my hope,” I said. “Without hope…” I looked away from him. “Without hope, I have nothing left.”

“Aww, c’mon, Storm, don’t say that. You have me. And you have Maverick.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave me a hug from the side.

“I know,” I said. “You guys… you are my hope. You’re my family, you know that?”

“Yeah. And you’re mine, too, Punchy.”

I laughed aloud. “We should get into orbit. Maverick’s expecting us.”

The Hunter nodded and we walked up to Amanda. He gave the Shipwright Maverick’s ship codes, and we boarded. Skinner took his place in the co-pilot seat and I took my seat behind the pilot’s seat. He flipped all of the switches the ship hummed to life. We waited for Maverick in orbit, in silence and mutual discomfort of what was to come.

Twenty minutes later, Maverick appeared on board. He walked up into the cockpit with Skinner, gently kissing the top of my head as he passed by. He took his place at the pilot controls and plotted our course for the Dreadnaught. Before we left, he turned in his seat to look at us. “Listen, I know…. I know I’ve been a shitty fireteam leader lately. But no matter what, we are going in there as a team, and we stick together. No matter what.”

“Semper fi,” Skinner said. We both looked at him with our heads tilted. It sounded oddly familiar, like I knew what it was, but I wasn’t sure where it was from. “Oh… it’s a pre-Golden Age saying from America in one of their defense divisions. Marines, I think? It means ‘Ever Faithful, Ever Loyal’.”

I smiled. Of course, that’s where I heard it. I had read about it in some old American war papers and it sounded off in my dreams. “Oorah.”

“You’ve heard it?”

“In a distant dream, like a memory of my past.”

Maverick grinned. “Alright team, let’s finish this.” 

He turned back to the controls and Skinner turned back to his, then we made the jump from Earth to the Rings of Saturn. The entire time, we were all in silence. Despite our overall sense of confidence in our abilities, it was clear that we were all on edge. We landed in the Hull Breach, and the Vanguard channel started to come through, loud and clear.

“All of this was set in motion long ago,” Eris said, sounding just as depressing as usual. “He calls out, and the Darkness answers.”

“Okaay!” Cayde cut in. “Creepy sidekick. Check. Roguish commander. Check. And then we have the Fireteam, my greatest success story. I'd say we're ready to get this done.”

“Push back the dark,” Eris continued. “End it.”

“She’s right, Fireteam. There’s no doubt in my mind this could possibly work. Now, get to that rupture.”

Maverick took the lead, motioning us to follow him. And we did, straight through the wrecked Cabal ship to the Mausoleum. When we got into the area, Cabal and Hive were fighting each other, along with Taken that were starting to pollute the area. We had to fight our way to the rupture. It was never easy.

“Okay, this is where the Rupture should be,” Maverick said as we approached the dias that we last fought the Echo of Oryx.

“Get it open!” Cayde insisted. “Once you’re through, send your coordinates. We’ll lock down your signal and deploy reinforcements.”

As we approached, Maverick pulled out the Crystal. The Rupture opened abruptly, making us all jump back ever so slightly. 

“The rupture can sense the soul you hold. You are Ascendant!” Eris exclaimed.

“Time to go kill a king, eh, Fireteam? Good luck.”

Maverick turned around to look at us. Skinner reloaded his shotgun and pumped it, ready for whatever army was on the other side. “Well,” he said. “I’m ready when you are.”

He looked at me directly, and I could feel his worry, but I didn’t want to let him feel mine. I gave him a nod. “Let’s go.” 

The moment we passed through that Rupture, with no exit behind us and nothing but static on all of the feeds, I got that sick feeling in my stomach again. I was right. We were trapped here. “We’re going to have to finish this on our own,” I said quietly. “All of the feeds are dead and my Ghosts scans are returning nothing.”

We started to proceed forwards. The only clear path was down this long hallway. Lanterns that lined the sides lit up as we passed by them. Something about this place, the way it acknowledged our presence… it was like there was always going to be eyes on us. That something was watching.

“We’re definitely… somewhere,” Maverick said as we slowed down. He turned to look behind us at the lit lanterns that emitted an ominous yellow-orange glow. “No sign of Oryx.”

As we approached the end of the hall, the ball of Taken energy, the one that led us here, the one that led my team on Phobos, appeared.

“Hey, Maverick, remember that bad feeling I told you about?” I said as I held fast to my gun. “It’s getting worse.”

“I hear you,” he replied. “Let’s just keep moving. We’re bound to find Oryx somewhere in here.”

As we approached the Taken light, it fled further down the hallway, down the stairs and to the space between the pair of steps. Skinner scoffed. “Well, now we know we have his attention. Hi, Oryx, you murderous bastard.” I followed the two of them down, pausing a moment to gaze down scope at the platforms across the chasm. They were empty, then again, the entire area was. Like a stage. The moment we reached the orb, Taken started to spawn in the room. Immediately, Maverick started calling out orders.

“Skinner, on my six!” He shouted. “Storm, get up high and take out those snipers!”

Skinner nodded and ran down the steps with Maverick. I ran back up and crouched at the top, positioned my sniper at my shoulder, and started taking out the Taken Hobgoblins. One by one, they disappeared into nothing, but I had to take cover after every kill because they would send three projectiles at my location. As I took out the last one, I opened the feed with Maverick and Skinner. “How’s it going down there boys?” I asked as I peeked around the corner. I started to snipe down what I could while they were running around like madmen, killing all of the Taken they set eyes on.

“Be better if you weren’t stealing all of my kills,” Skinner laughed. It was obvious that he felt better now that he was finally getting some action out there. While he was distracted stabbing a Psion, I sniped the Knight that had crept up behind him, finally ending the battle. Skinner turned around and looked up at me. “Really? I had him!”

“Yeah, you’re welcome,” I chuckled. I started to walk down to join the two of them. Maverick gently clapped a hand on my shoulder.

“Nice shot, Storm. Now let’s keep moving. Oryx must be deeper inside.” We walked up the stairs to the upper platform, and stood before a door that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. We must have stood there for maybe a full thirty seconds before it opened for us, making me more and more anxious the longer we had to wait. But when it finally did open, we walked through into the adjoining room, where another alter hosted a rupture. However, before we even got far into the room, a Shadow of Oryx appeared, his voice screaming in both the room and taking over our comms.

“You… are the last hope of the Light?” Oryx said as he gazed over our team. “I have taken entire worlds! You are not worthy to face me!” The shadow disappeared and the rupture opened. Ta’aun, the Hand of Oryx, the same Centurion that we saw him take in our first trip to the dreadnaught walked out and immediately began firing down on us. Maverick crouched down behind some of the barricades in the room, Skinner and I behind another. We all took turns getting his attention and letting the others shoot him. Skinner and I were doing most of the damage while Maverick kept him from looking at us. Before we could kill him, Baxx, the Hand of Oryx, the Ogre he took while we were stealing the Shard of Crota’s crystal on the Moon, walked through the rupture, and it closed behind him. This just made everything more difficult, as we couldn’t keep damaging and distracting at the same time.

“Any ideas Mav?” Skinner asked over comms as he dove behind another barricade, somewhat closer to the two Taken Ultras.

“Just one. You got your Tether?”

“Um, duh. I’ve had it for like twenty minutes now. Just waiting for your signal.”

“Good. Storm, you got your Radiance?”

“Just finished charging up. I was hoping to keep it charged in case things get dicey when we fight Oryx, though.”

“Fine, keep it. Skinner, on my mark, tether the two of them.”

“What mark?”

He didn’t need an answer. Maverick jumped up and pulled a Hammer of Sol out of thin air, the clang of it loud and distinct as solar energy enveloped his body. Skinner jumped up seconds later, pulling the Void string of his bow back, and shot an arrow right between the two bosses. They flinched as they were tethered to the arrow’s landing mark, and their mistake was not starting to shoot again. Maverick threw hammers quickly and precisely, until they fell and disappeared, defeated. I came out from cover and caught up to the two of them. 

“Wish I could have helped you two better,” I sighed.

“No worries, it’s better that you save that radiance for a time of need. There’s only so much those fusion grenades can do.” Maverick threw his last hammer at the last thrall left in the room. Shortly after, the rupture reopened, almost like it was welcoming us into it. 

“Well,” I said as I loaded a few fresh rounds into my sniper. “Looks like we’re worthy now.”

We walked through the portal and it put us in a very narrow hallway.

“How many more of these damn things do you have to go through?” Skinner asked, irritated.

“I don't know, Skinner, hopefully that was the last one,” Maverick sighed.

We exited the Hall and came out to a big doorway on the other side of a chasm with Hive guarding it. There was no visible way across before Oryx began speaking.

“Come for me Warrior of Light! I will finish what Crota began!” As he finished speaking, the Hive guarding the door ran through it as if they were summoned back. As the last of the Hive went through the door platforms began to materialize. We made our way to them when I motioned for the two of them to stop.

“I'm not going first, not after last time,” I said firmly. The last time I stepped foot on one of those platforms, it went out from beneath me and I fell to my death.

“Come on Storm, Oryx challenged us and by the Sword Logic he can't play dirty. At least he's not supposed too.” Mav said hopefully, “Eris said so.”

“Fine, but if this bridge fades from existence, I'm jumping off,” I said.

“Good luck with that Warlock,” Skinner mocked. I lifted my gun his way then towards the bridge, and he held up his hands in defense, but laughed and went first anyway. We walked across the bridge and stopped in front of the door. Two giant carvings of stone on either side.

“Hold on,” I said and pulled out my Ghost, “ _Peu de lumière_ , who are these carving for?”

“Well obviously one of them is for Crota's,” she while she examined the one on the right, “but this one, there isn't anything in the World's Grave on it, but the engraved name just says Nokris.”

We walked through the giant door and were met with another carving.

“Let me guess this one is Oryx?” Mav said.

“Yes it is.” 

We walked around the statue to a Taken flame on the ground.

“ _Oooh! I want to touch it!_ ” Skinner shouted gleefully and ran toward the flame. Before Maverick could stop him, he was close to it and it shot down the hall, and it left a trail behind it. Then it ran up the door and it made a symbol, Oryx’s symbol. It glowed white then darkened to a reddish-orange color before the door opened. And there stood the Hive King, standing there covering the room in Darkness, chanting some kind of ritual. I couldn’t see him, but we could sense his presence in the room.

"This is it, this is where it ends." Maverick said, "let’s go guys." Maverick took out his Necrochasm, the weapon he obtained from killing Crota. It was almost fitting. As the door closed behind us, the Darkness rushed to Oryx.

"At last!" He yelled as his sword levitated up from the ground and he grabbed it effortlessly. "I will have vengeance! It will feel good to kill the two Light Warriors who killed my kin!" He then glanced at me and I could feel his three eyes burning into my soul, so I positioned my rocket launcher on my shoulder. "And a third as a trophy." I closed my eyes for a brief moment. He knew. 

“Maverick,” I said over our private channel, my voice almost shaking. “He knows. He knows I survived Phobos.”

Before Oryx could make his next more, out of pure rage Maverick took out another round of Hammers of Sol. But just before the first hammer collided, I felt all of my energy drain and I stumbled, as did Skinner. The Hunter grabbed hold of my arm and dragged me behind cover. When Maverick’s hammers were spent, he jumped behind cover with us.

"What happened? What did he do?"

"I don't know," Skinner said 

"It felt like he was draining my Light." I said.

"Your Traveler's Light can not reach you here!" Oryx taunted.

"If he keeps doing that I don't know if I'll have my Radiance for when I need it."

Oryx once again began the ritual and targeted Maverick with it, so he took out his Gjallarhorn and shot a rocket at him, breaking his focus once more. And he vanished and summoned Taken to take over.

"Yeah." Maverick said bitterly. He must have had his light drained. " That's unpleasant, but let's kill these Taken and draw him out again." It was more Acolytes and Hobgoblins. We killed them without a problem, though it almost felt too easy. Oryx then appeared to the right of the room and beckoned to us, "What you call Darkness is the end of your evolution." He then raised his hand and the air around Maverick started to crackle, and before we knew it, hot, taken energy exploded right where he was standing, moments after he was able to dive out of the way, but the armor on his shoulder was singed and he looked hurt.

"Mav! You alright?" Skinner asked.

"I'm fine, just focus on Oryx!" he shouted.

Skinner and I both fired on him, and I emptied the last of my rockets into his skull, and yet he barely flinched. Oryx summoned Taken Captains and Psions to keep us busy as he began his ritual again, this time targeting Skinner. 

“Skinner take cover!” I shouted, dragging him out of the Captain’s line of fire.

“Storm keep them off me!” Mav shouted.

“Sure thing,” I said and jumped out of cover and drew the attention of the Taken away by running through them, firing my auto rifle at the Psions and dragging a Captain’s attention away from him. Maverick was launching more rockets at him, and the tracking clusters broke his focus once more. We killed off the second round Taken before Oryx began to speak again.

“The Darkness is a gift!” He declared as he appeared at the pool on the outside and summoned Taken Phalanx's and Thrall again. But instead of trying his luck with a ritual again he started to fight by rushing one of us firing his Darkness blasts and trying to kill us with his sword. When he tried to attack one of us, the other two would attack on Maverick’s signal. Once again, he vanished from sight but this time a giant blight formed around the pool of Hive gunk and it went quiet. No more Taken spawned in the room and Oryx never came outside. It was absolutely silent.

“What do you think he's planning?” I asked. 

“I have no idea, but keep you guard up just in case.” Mav said.

Minutes passed and nothing happened. Skinner was just kicking around rocks. “Man, Oryx is being such a…” before he could finish his sentence he was surrounded by Taken energy. “Wh-What the fuck?!” He yelled before disappearing.

“Skinner?!” Maverick and I yelled together. Maverick ran over to where he was.

“He's… he's gone.” he said. He started to shake, whether from sadness or rage I couldn’t tell. “ _No! I will not fail again!”_ He then jumped up and unloaded his magazine at the blight, the magazine emptied in no time but he kept the trigger held down. 

“Maverick!” I said as I walked over to him carefully, placing my hand on his rifle. I tried to put myself in his line of sight. Firing into that blight was doing nothing. “Mav, please just… lower your weapon. There's nothing we can do, we… we just have to hope he's strong enough to survive whatever is in there.” He slowly lowered his rifle.

“But… but he's gone Storm, I don't want to lose my best friend to Oryx.” As his anger passed it was replaced with sadness, and his body language showed it. His shoulders slumped and his arms dropped to his side. “Storm I can't lose him, he's one of the only friends I have left.”

“I know Mav, we just have to wait,” I said as I walked him over to a rock and sat down. I sat down next to him, clutching onto his hands, trying to comfort him, but I felt utterly useless. It felt like hours past when it was only minutes when Skinner was dropped in front of us. 

“Skinner!” Maverick yelled as he jumped up to help him stand. “What happened in there? What did he do?” No damage to his armor, but he was out of ammo and his knife was missing. He must have tried to fight whatever was in there.

He looked up at us and he was visibly shaken. “He…” Skinner swallowed, “he showed me my true fear and doubts. Mav he's trying to break our wills, so we would be easier to take. Our strong wills and our Light makes it impossible for him to take us.”

“What? How?” He asked, but before he could get an answer, the Taken energy surrounded him and he was gone. I screamed his name and ran towards the blight, but Skinner grabbed my arms and held me back.

“Storm, stop!” He shouted, holding me tightly as I collapsed to my knees. “There… There’s nothing we can do. Mav’s strong, he’ll be fine.”

“No… no…” I could feel myself trembling as Skinner hugged me tightly. “Skinner… what did you see?”

He was quiet for a long time before he responded. “Betrayal.” He mumbled quietly. “Getting killed by my own team, getting killed by you… Betrayal is the worst when it comes from someone close to you.”

I looked at him, then at the blight. “We need to get in there,” I said quietly. “I know Maverick’s strong, but there is only so much we can take before…”

“I know.”

_There is only so much pain, so much trauma we can take before we break._

“Skinner… can you do me a favor?”

“Hmm?”

I took his hand and placed my Ghost in it, and the both of them looked at me suspiciously. “Keep her safe.”

“Why?”

“Just… just a bad feeling. I’m going to be next, I know… But in case anything happens to me in there, I don’t want Oryx getting a hold of my Ghost.”

“But if you don’t have your Ghost—”

Just then, Maverick appeared back in the room, standing tall, his rocket settled on his shoulder. He whipped around as he realized that he was no longer standing in the blight. Skinner let me go, tucked my Ghost into his vest, and walked over to him, his hands on Maverick’s shoulders before the two of them hugged tightly. 

“You’re okay…” Skinner muttered.

“He showed me our fireteam,” Mav said quietly. “I wouldn’t let him break me. He sees into our minds, if we don’t kill him, he will keep trying to break us, one by one.”

But just as Maverick turned to face me, still on my knees, I watched the two of them get surrounded by the Taken energy and disappear. “ _No!_ ” I shouted. I stood to my feet and started to run towards that blight, but the same energy surrounded me and I was teleported into darkness. I stood and turned around wildly. I wasn’t sure where I was. But the darkness was cold and my skin crawled as if something was touching me, prodding at my mind. I pulled off my helmet and tossed it aside, and clutched tightly onto my head.

I tried to block him out.

“You are weak,” Oryx’s voice echoed all around me. “You could not save them.” 

When I turned around, Gilly’s and Adam’s bodies were lying on the ground. I felt my skin crawl at the sight of them, especially since I could see Adam’s face. “You can’t break me!” I screamed into the darkness. My voice betrayed me and cracked with fear. He knew everything. I could feel his presence like tendrils pressing against my consciousness. I tried to push him out, to ignore his presence, but it was still there, still pushing against me. Any energy I could muster up to resist was being drained immediately.

“You let your grief consume you. You are a shell of who you were.”

“I am _not_ weak!”

“You have nothing left.”

“I have my team!” I kept spinning in circles, watching, waiting for Oryx to show himself to me. But then I saw it, and I froze. My blood ran cold. “That… that… can’t be.” On the ground were the torn up Titan Mark and Hunter Cloak that Maverick and Skinner were wearing. I ran over and picked them up, and sure enough they were real. Tears spilled over onto my cheeks. “No, they can’t be…” I collapsed to my knees. “They can’t be…” 

“They have fallen, another team you could not save.”

“Why?!” I screamed into the dark abyss. I could feel my heart breaking, all of the walls around me were crumbling. I could feel Oryx prodding at my mind, but I couldn’t fight him anymore. Without my Ghost, I was barely holding onto the Light that I had left. I pulled off my helmet because I could barely breathe over the lump in my throat. I couldn’t stop shaking and I clutched Maverick’s mark to my chest. “ _Mon chérie, je suis désolé. Je t'ai manqué. Je t'ai laissé tomber. Pardonne-moi. Pardonne-moi_ …”* I raised my eyes, and there he was. Oryx loomed over me. I reached for my gun, but I could barely hold it straight. 

For the first time in my years as a Guardian, I felt truly afraid. 

More afraid than I had felt on Phobos.

I stood shakily to my feet and backed away from him slowly. “ _Je ne vais pas casser_ ,”** I spat out, like a curse.

“Why let your grief consume you?” Oryx’s voice sounded... oddly soothing. I mentally shook myself and tightened my grip on my gun. I tried so hard to hold it steady. “Why fight for the Sky, when the Sky gives nothing to you?” 

Oryx continued to move towards me, the flap of his bat-like wings knocked me back. Every time I was knocked back, I pushed myself back onto my feet, but each time it was harder to stand than the last. “Lay down your grief and your struggle, survivor of Phobos.” He reached his hand out towards me, and I looked at the taken energy in his claws. “ _Let my Will set you free!_ ” 

I screamed loudly as my body was enveloped by pain. I could see the Taken energy that started at my chest and spread outwards. It felt like my soul was being ripped from my body. It felt like my blood was freezing as the corruption spread, but I couldn’t fight it. I didn’t have the willpower or the strength. I fell on my knees and clutched my chest.

“ _Arrête ça_!” I screamed. “ _Arrête ça_!”*** 

When the corruption finished spreading and Oryx picked me up by my throat, I only had a small, weak grasp left on my consciousness and my Light. I didn’t even fight him. When he let me go I collapsed to the ground. When I looked up I saw that I was no longer surrounded by darkness, but instead surrounded by mist. There was an urge in me, something primal and unfamiliar. 

An urge to kill, an urge to feed.

_You are a Guardian,_ Oryx’s voice echoed in my head. _Chosen from the dead by one of the Traveler’s Ghosts, you are a warrior forged in Light, a final hope in a universe falling into Darkness._

_You have been Taken._

_Put down your sniper, lay down your sword, let go of your Light. Your purpose is no longer to defend. Give them pain. There is Magic for you, and a Knife imbued with it. Give them their end. You are judge, jury, and executioner. Take up the knife and use it._

_Take your new shape._

I started to stand slowly. There was a knife in my hand, the blade glowing white. My hands and arms were filled with starlight. _This isn’t right_ , I thought to myself. _This isn’t you, Genesis. You are Genesis Page, you are a warrior, you can fight—_

Oryx’s voice became louder and broke my train of thought. _Deliver their pain. Deliver their end! Let my Will set you free!_

“Genesis, no!”

I whipped around and ran towards the sound. I didn’t even think. I saw two figures in front of me, two targets, two Light Warriors to end. I raised the knife, but the one in front of me was a Hunter, quick and stealthy, he was strong and held my wrist in the air. I punched him in the gut, making him flinch and let me go, but he dodged backwards before I could land a blow. The two of them wrestled me to the ground and I screamed in pain as the Titan knelt down on top of me, pinning my arm to the ground with his hand and his knee dug into my chest. The Hunter held my other arm down and ripped the knife out of my hand. I gazed up at the Titan as he pulled off his helmet and then pressed one of his hands down on my shoulder. 

“Angel,” he said. His voice sounded so familiar. “Angel, I know you’re in there.”

_Kill them. Kill them!_

I tried to move and look away from him, but his hands moved my face back to him and he held my face in place. Since he let go of my arm, I reached up, but I couldn’t reach for his throat, I could only push back on his shoulder. “Angel, it’s Maverick! Fight him! Fight!”

I felt something in me click, like a switch turning. I blinked rapidly and my heart thumped painfully in my throat. “What?” My own voice sounded foreign and distorted. My grip on his shoulder weakened.

“Maverick. It’s Maverick, you know me! Do you remember Venus? And Detroit? What about last night? Do you know me?”

“I— I—” Before I could say anything, I felt a flash of pain over my entire body, like the corruption was spreading further and deeper into me, and I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed.

“Her Ghost, Skinner, now!”

All of a sudden, a bit of my strength returned and my eyes shot open. In one final attempt to break free, I pushed them off of me, scrambled away from the two of them, grabbed the knife that Oryx had gifted me, and drove it through my stomach.

* * *

\---translations---

* “My sweetheart, I’m sorry. I failed you. I let you down. Forgive me... forgive me...”

** “I will not break.”

*** “Stop it!” I screamed. “Stop it!”


	32. Free Will

Death was like a glimpse of freedom. His voice echoed in my head, telling me to rise, telling me to finish it. I didn’t heed his calls. Solar energy surged through me, replacing my frozen blood with warmth. I rose up from the ground, once again in control of my own will. I turned around and saw the shadow of Oryx in the mist.

“ _Vous ne me casseras pas_!”* I screamed at him.

_I already have._

The moment he came through the mist, sword ready to strike us down, I threw every single fusion grenade I had in my arsenal at him. Skinner and Maverick unloaded their rockets into him. I picked up the knife that I used to stab myself with, ran up to him and jumped up, driving the knife through his chest. I didn’t let go, I kept driving it deeper, and deeper, until almost the entire hilt of the blade was buried in his chest. The blight around us disappeared and Oryx knocked me back and into one of the rocks. My entire body jolted with pain and my vision became hazy.

I saw Oryx stumbling, like he was seriously injured. Skinner and Maverick stood between me and him, weapons ready. But Oryx… Oryx only reached for his sword and extracted a ball of Taken energy from it, held it in the air like a sacrifice, then slammed it into his chest. His physical body started to decay and fade, but then he looked past Skinner and Maverick, directly at me. He laughed, then disappeared into nothing.

I couldn’t help but to start laughing, even though I could barely move my muscles. “I won… I won…”

Maverick ran over to me, but my vision was blurry and I could barely keep my eyes open. He lifted my upper body into his arms and his hand pushed through my hair and pressed my head into his chest. I couldn’t hold back my tears and I started to break down.

“I know you,” I murmured quietly. “I know you…”

“Shh… shh… It’s okay…”

“He broke me…” I cried. “I… I couldn’t stop it… I tried, I tried so hard to fight…” Maverick tried to quiet me and calm me down, but I had to tell them. “He brought me… he brought me your mark…” I reached a shaking hand and pulled it out of my robes. “And part of Skinner’s cloak… I… I thought you were dead…” My Ghost flew over and started to heal my body and my wounds. I could feel my strength returning to my body, but I didn’t want to move from his embrace. “I failed you… I’m so sorry…”

“Shh… you didn’t fail anyone. You still tried to fight. You’re going to be okay.”

I looked at Maverick and Skinner, who had come over and crouched down beside us. Tears still streamed from my eyes onto my cheeks. “I wanna go home…” 

Maverick nodded and lifted me up, then turned to Skinner. “This stays quiet. We can’t tell the Vanguard what happened. At least not all of the details. If they ask, he showed us all our fears. Got it?”

“Trust me Mav, when we land in the Tower I don’t even want to talk to the Vanguard about what happened here.” 

The moment our Ghosts got a lock onto Maverick’s ship, we transmatted out of there. The moment we were off the Dreadnaught, all comms came back to life. 

“This is attempt thirty-two to reach Fireteam Dauntless. Fireteam, if you can read us, let us know you’re okay.” It was Ikora. 

Maverick settled me down in one of the seats and helped me buckle in. My body still felt weak and stiff, but at least my strength was back. Before he went into the pilot’s seat to respond, he held tightly onto my hands and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We’re going to get you home so you can rest, so sit tight, okay?” I didn’t want him to let go, so I squeezed his hands tighter.

_You cannot escape me._

“Genesis are you ok?” Skinner asked as he knelt down in front of me.

“What’s happening?” Maverick asked.

_You embrace death. The Deep embraces death._

I shook my head and held my head in my hands, and curled my legs to my chest. “I can still hear his voice,” I whispered. “Beckoning…”

The two of them exchanged a look. “Eris… would know how to help…” Skinner said. 

“Let’s just get home first,” Maverick said firmly, dropping the subject. “Skinner, get on the comms and contact the Vanguard. Tell them we’re alright and on our way home.”

Skinner nodded then went up to the co-pilot seat. “This is Skinner from Fireteam Dauntless. We defeated Oryx in our world but he disappeared somewhere. We’re on our way home.”

“It’s good to hear from you, Fireteam,” Cayde said. “Get home safely. We’ll meet you in the Hanger when you enter the airspace.”

“Right…”

Maverick finally left me and went to his seat at the controls. I hugged myself tightly.

“Guardian?” My Ghost floated in front of me. I looked at her with tears still in my eyes. “I… I’ve seen what he did to you. Are you alright?”

I shook my head and gently held her in my hands. “I’m just glad I sent you away,” I mumbled quietly. “If you were there with me, he would have Taken you, too. And I wouldn’t be back here now.”

“I see memories of what happened to you. You said you can still hear him? I… I don’t hear him, Genesis, are you sure he’s there?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and nodded. “It’s not like he’s saying the same thing. He’s in my head…” 

“He can’t be in your head, Genesis,” Dawn insisted. “I can’t pick up any trace of him in your brain.”

“Ghost,” I said to her sternly. “Stop. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I know what I’m hearing.” I wrapped my arms around my legs and held tightly onto the backs of my sleeves. I tried to close my eyes and sleep, but every time I did I saw flashes of Oryx, of the Taken, of the corrupted sword in my hand, the taken energy in Oryx’s fist. Every time I had to open my eyes again to remind myself that I wasn’t in that darkness anymore. But every time Maverick turned back to check on me, I closed my eyes and feigned sleep, and I endured the nightmares behind my eyelids until he looked away.

“She’s strong,” Skinner murmured. I opened my eyes a tiny bit, just enough to keep myself awake to eavesdrop, but not enough to where they thought I was awake. I peered at the two of them through my eyelashes

“I know,” Maverick sighed. “But she’s not as strong as you and I.”

“And she will recover.”

“It might take a while, but yeah… I know…”

“She will need your help, Mav,” the Hunter added. “I don’t care what Vanguard protocol is. Just… stay by her side until we figure out what the hell went wrong. Why didn’t we kill him? Why did he just let us go? This doesn’t add up and you know it.”

“I know that!” Maverick hissed quietly. He was clearly angry about the way things went. “There’s too many questions and not enough answers. For now…” Maverick looked at me over his shoulder as we entered Earth’s orbit. “For now I just want to keep her safe and let her sleep.”

The two of them fell silent again as we entered the Tower airspace. Maverick announced our arrival and requested a landing pad. Even Amanda sounded relieved to hear we were back safely. 

When we landed, Maverick came back to me as Skinner got ready to get off. He gently held my hands until I turned my focus to him. "Storm, I know you're tired, but you need to walk out of here. If the Vanguard finds out what happened to you, they will absolutely not let you be a Guardian anymore. Without a question. It would be like total lockdown, but permanent.” 

My eyes filled with tears. Being a Guardian was the only thing getting me through this mess right now. “I know,” I whispered softly. “There’s just so many images I can’t get out of my head.”

“Angel, please,” Maverick pleaded. “We just have to get through the meeting with the Vanguard, and then we can go home. Can you do that?”

I took a shaky breath, but nodded. “I-I think so. I can try.” Maverick placed a hand on my elbow and helped me stand. We transmatted out of the ship and into the Hanger, where the Vanguard were waiting for us. Skinner was already with them, but he hadn’t said a word to the Vanguard. His arms were crossed and he was tapping his foot with his impatience and nerves.

I saw Eris stare at all of us. Her back straightened a bit and her shoulders went rigid.

She knew.

“How’d the mission go?” Zavala asked the group of us immediately, the moment we approached them.

“Wow, okay, no chill,” Maverick said bitterly. “But anyways that is the last time I want to fight a Hive King or God for a long time.”

“What do you mean Maverick?” Ikora asked.

“Do you know what it's like to have a monster like that poke and probe your mind for your fear, and then making them a reality? Not very fun. But other than, that the mission was a success.”

They all stared at us for a moment before Zavala broke the silence. “I believe I'll see an after action report by tomorrow correct?”

“Yeah sure Big Blue whatever you want,” he said. 

He gave Mav a nod and they all walked away, except for Eris. She approached us, her head turned about to scan her surroundings, and she spoke with heavy concern. “I feel his presence, who is it? Who let him in?”

The three of us felt silent. I could feel Maverick’s grip on my hand tighten. Even still, I could hear his voice. I could hear his whispers. I closed my eyes to fight back tears. 

“It's… Storm. She was Taken, I think, for a brief moment,” Maverick said, probably louder than he should have.

Eris held up a hand to silence him, she looked around the Hanger once more, and then back to us.

“Too many wondering ears. Come we will go somewhere more… secluded.” She motioned for us to follow her. We followed her out of the Hanger into the Tower Plaza past the Postmaster and up some stairs. People rarely went up here so it was the most secluded place in the Tower. 

“You were Taken?!” She exclaimed once we were far out of earshot. I almost winced at the harsh tone in her voice, but I knew it was from shock. “How did you break Oryx's hold on your will?”

I looked at Maverick nervously, but he nodded anyway. Eris had to know, even if I didn't want to recount everything that happened. “Oryx separated us one by one to try and break our wills. I gave Skinner my Ghost before he came for me. And after he… took me, he tried to make me kill them. They brought me back. They helped me remember who I was, who they were, and keep a grip on the little bit of Light I had left. Oryx gave me a knife imbued with Taken energy and I… I used that knife to kill myself and used the Light my Ghost gave back to me to activate my radiance. My light must have broken his hold on my Will, but he’s still there.”

“What are you hearing, Guardian? What are the voices telling you?” 

I looked away and hugged myself tightly. Even Eris, with her prodding questions, made me feel uncomfortable. But she’s the expert on the Hive, if anyone knew how to explain this, it was her. “I hear… whispers. Oryx telling me about the Deep, about death, that I can’t escape his reach. Every time I close my eyes, I have these… visions of what happened on the Dreadnaught.” I looked back at Eris. “I’m trying so hard, but I can’t block him out. He’s there, he’s still in my head… like fingers pressing on my consciousness.”

“But your connection with your fireteam together with your Light broke most of his hold. But to rid your mind of the Taken King you must kill him, in his Throne World. So soon you will return and bring down the King. And without a leader the Taken should wither."

“Do we even know where he is?” Skinner interrupted. “We can’t kill him if we can’t find his throne, right?”

“The Hidden and I will find him. You must prepare your fireteam. And Guardian,” Eris turned me, “do not heed his calls, and fight his voices. He can only win if you let him in.” Eris nodded her head to each of us, then walked away. I walked over to the railings that overlooked the land below. I placed my hands on the rails and took a few deep breaths. I shut my eyes tightly.

_You will try to hide…_

“Storm…” Skinner walked over to me. “Are you alright?”

_You will try to run…_

“No,” I croaked out. Every time he spoke my head felt like it was being ripped open and I got a splitting headache. I clutched so tightly onto the metal that my knuckles turned white.

B _ut I will always find you._

“You’re hearing him again, aren’t you?” Maverick said as he came over to my side. He placed his hand on my shoulder. I could only nod in response. Maverick placed his hands over mine and held on tightly. “Storm, listen to me,” he said firmly. I opened my eyes, on the verge of tears, and looked at him. “He cannot reach you here. We won’t let him hurt you again, okay?”

I could only give Maverick a small, tentative nod. As much as I wanted to believe him, getting used to these voices was difficult.

“Well… I’m going to get a drink,” Skinner said. “Storm, you should go home and rest. And Mav… remember what we talked about.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Skinner left the Tower and we stayed on the balcony in silence. I didn’t want to move. The air was crisp and cold with the coming winter. Clouds were rolling in, replacing the reds and yellows of the setting sun with the shadow of darkness.

“Come on, Angel,” Maverick said softly as he lifted my frozen hands from the cold railing. “Let’s go home.”

\---translations--

* You will not break me!


	33. Quiet Reverie

Maverick walked me along the barren and well lit City streets. It was later than I thought it was. There were very few shops left open, and those that were open were either clubs or late-night restaurants. Maverick kept his arm wrapped around my back and kept me close to his side. I welcomed his comfort. But when I looked up, I saw that we were already three blocks past my street.

“ _Mon chérie_ … where are we going? My place is back that way.”

“Oh no, I’m not leaving you alone in your house. You’re coming back home with me and you’re staying with me until we end this.”

“Until we end this?” I looked at Maverick with shock. “Maverick, I’m not even sure there’s an end in sight.”

“Well, lucky me, then.” It was obvious by his tone he was teasing. I pouted my lip in doubt as we walked up the stairs to his second floor apartment. “Look, if you’re worried about protocol, don’t be. I don’t like the idea of you being alone while all of this is going on, and the Vanguard… I’m pretty sure Cayde and Ikora would understand why we might be afraid. Zavala is just Zavala, he doesn’t stray from protocol. But he’ll suck it up.”

I fell silent as we walked inside the apartment. Maverick let me in first, then followed up behind me and locked the door. He walked in and started his usual routine, taking off his armor, setting down his guns, and he almost immediately started to walk into his office, where he worked on his models. Like his routine was so ingrained in him that he had no choice but to follow it.

I stood frozen in the doorway. I could feel my heart racing and I rubbed my arms anxiously. My mind was tired and exhausted, but every synapse in my brain was firing like lightning. I slowly took a few steps forward and set down my weapons on the table. My mind kept spacing in and out of focus. Maverick must have gone into the bathroom when I wasn’t paying attention, because I heard the shower start running. He came back out, in a t-shirt and sweats, and leaned against the wall. 

“I, uh… I thought you might want to clean up so I started the shower.”

I gave him a tentative smile. “Thank you,” I said softly. “I’ll head in in just a minute. I need to send my Ghost to my place to get some of my things, if I really am going to be hunkering down here for a while.” I looked up and gave him a brighter smile, trying to be positive, but I was feigning joy. Deep down, my stomach was filled with dread. There was a faint voice in the back of my head, whispers conveying unintelligible words.

“It can wait for the morning, right? We can even swing by if you want. I got some spare clothes you can use here.” He gave me a nod, then walked back down the hallway to his bedroom. I slowly removed my armor, piece by piece, buckle by buckle, lace by lace. Before Maverick could come back, I snuck into the bathroom and closed and locked the door. I stripped out of my thermals, the spandex-like underclothes that all Human and Awoken Guardians had to wear under their armor to protect themselves from the harsh cold of space. 

At first, the heat of the water felt like it was burning my skin, but after a few seconds, the warmth immediately brought relaxation to my muscles. I stayed under the water for a long time, letting my worried thoughts flow with the water down the drain. Even still, I got flashbacks every time I had to close my eyes. I scrubbed my body harshly, trying to get rid of the sticky Taken-gunk feeling that never left my skin. 

“Are you going to be okay, Guardian?” My Ghost asked, her voice very heavy with concern. “You’re still acting… strangely.”

I took a deep breath as I let the water wash away the soap. “For once in my life, _peu de lumiere,_ I’m honestly not sure. Every time I start to get the slightest hope that everything’s going to be okay, Oryx snuffs it out. I… I don’t think I’m going to be okay until we kill him. Permanently.”

She didn’t respond to me. I think my Ghost was unsettled by my harsh realistic ideology. I didn’t even sound like myself. I turned off the water and stood in the shower for a minute, I waited for the air to cool before I slid the curtain open and grabbed the towel. It was warm and soft, like Maverick had it warmed up before he left it for me on the bathroom counter. I took no time at all to dry off and got dressed. I left the bathroom, hair still damp, and looked around for Maverick. I walked aimlessly around the apartment, my hands running over furniture and picture frames. I walked into his office, where Maverick was hunched over his desk, meticulously piecing something together. I walked over to him slowly, then gently wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned against his back. Maverick looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. He placed his hand on my arm and squeezed gently.

“Everything okay?” He asked quietly. I nodded, but didn’t respond. Nothing was truly OK, but here in this moment, I wanted to believe that I could have some semblance of peace here. I closed my eyes and leaned against him, the exhaustion had started to make my muscles feel heavy. Maverick pushed his chair back and stood slowly, but I kept my arms wrapped around him as he turned. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, and tightened my arms around his neck.

“Mm… I’m tired…” I mumbled quietly. “But… I can’t keep my eyes closed…”

“I know, I know,” Maverick whispered. “I’ll be close the entire time, I promise.” 

Maverick set me down on the bed and I crawled under the covers. I let myself collapse against the pillows and I looked up at Maverick, who sat on the edge of the bed. I gave him a weary smile, then reached out and grasped tightly onto one of his hands. 

“Promise you won’t leave me,” I asked quietly. 

“I promise.”

“ _Je t’aime, mon cherie_ ,” I said softly as I started to drift.

“I love you, too, Angel,” Maverick replied. It was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

* * *

_I opened my eyes and found myself in darkness. I was armorless, weaponless, Ghostless, but in my hands was my Light. The only weapon I would ever need. I let the Arc energy surge through my body and dance up my arms. I saw a figure in the distance, a shape in the dark, and I found myself walking towards it, unable to stop myself, even as the pit in my stomach grew. It didn’t even move, not even when I was right behind it. I reached out slowly, heart pounding, and placed my hand on the figure's shoulder. The moment I touched it, it turned around. My eyes widened._

_“Maverick?” I asked. He looked tired and the light in his eyes was dim. “Maverick, what’s wrong, what’s wrong?!” I grabbed onto his arms as he started to go down, and I fell to my knees beside him, supporting his upper body. “No, no, no, Maverick, please no…” I looked down over his body; there was a gaping hole in his chest and hemosynth* bled out of him, soaking my hands and my robes. My eyes filled with tears. “What happened to you?”_

_He grabbed onto my shoulder and made me look at him. “He’s coming,” he choked out. “Run.” It was the only thing he said before the light faded from his eyes. I bit my lip and shut my eyes tightly to hold back tears. I laid his body down slowly and with care, then pressed my lips on his forehead._

_When I looked up, there was a large, looming, winged figure above me. I knew it immediately. I stood up slowly and held my head high as Oryx stood tall above me. I let my arms, still tingling with Arc Light, fall to my side. I rotated my palms forward and the Light surged through my entire body._

_“You can’t escape me,” Oryx said, though his voice was only in my mind._

_“I will not let you take me,” I said aloud firmly._

_He reached out towards me, his fist full of black fire, and just like that, all of my Light was siphoned from my body, replaced by a cold emptiness. I barely managed to stay on my feet. “You already have.”_

_When I looked down at my hands, they were white that faded into black, and covered in starlight._

* * *

I shot upright out of my sleep, though I felt I was unable to make a sound. I was drenched in cold sweat and felt chills run across my entire body. I looked down at my hands and much to my relief, my flesh was free of corruption. I ran my hands through my hair and looked around. The room was dark, except for a small light at Maverick’s desk in the corner. Maverick was already walking over to me and took a seat on the bed in front of me. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, his voice heavy with worry.

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine… Just a bad dream…”

Maverick didn’t say anything more, just pulled me against his chest. He smoothed a hand over my hair, a motion that never failed to calm me down. My chills slowly subsided and I relaxed against him. 

“Maverick… I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to sleep until all of this is over. Every time I close my eyes, Oryx is there, and I feel like I'm being Taken again.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I feel like he’s draining the Light out of my body until I can’t feel anything, until I can’t think, but I know what’s happening. I know it’s complicated to explain, but Eris said not to let him in… And when I sleep I am at my most vulnerable.” Maverick gazed out the window, like he was pondering something. “What is it?” I asked softly. 

“I get that you don’t want to sleep,” he started to say. “So… Do you want to walk around the City? There’s some nice sights and some places around that are good to take refuge in if you want some peace and quiet. Parks and things like that.”

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised and a half smile on my lips. It was not like Maverick to be talking about sentimental places in the City. “Okay, Maverick,” I said and pushed the covers aside. “Let me grab my boots.” He smiled in response and got up from the bed. “Ghost, can you get me a sweater from my place?” I asked.

“I’ll be right back,” she responded, disappeared briefly, then came back and my black and gold jacket appeared in my lap. I laced up my boots and pulled on the jacket. Maverick was already waiting for me by the door, dressed for the chilly weather. I interlocked my arm with his and he led me out of the apartment. Maverick locked up behind us, then led me down the stairs and we went into the night. 

_The Sky gives, and that power will snuff you out… The Deep Takes… take from the Deep and you will be powerful._

“So… where are we going?” I asked Maverick after we were a few blocks down. The City lights were breathtaking. I had grown used to the brightness of them, and sleeping was easier, but this curse was a whole new demon that was hard to face. My mind kept slipping in and out of focus, and slipped out whenever the whispers came back. And each time, the gentle squeeze of Maverick’s hand on mine brought me back to reality and silenced his voices.

_I am not like you!_

“Well… there is one place I had in mind,” he started, looking at me with worry. I gave him a smile to quell his fears, and I noticed his composure physically relaxed. “There’s a little park. It’s a bit out of the way, but it’s on the edge of the city where there are trees, and a little pond… you can even see the stars from the ground.”

_Your fellow Light Warrior took my Son! You have taken my Vengeance! And you will fall to the Deep!_

Oryx’s voice echoed so loudly in my head that it caused a physical reaction. I flinched and grabbed tightly onto Maverick’s hand. 

“Genesis, are you okay?!” Maverick asked, his tone was alarmed with worry. He placed his other hand under my elbow until I could get my bearings.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I said after taking a few deep breaths. “I… I think I might have to talk to Eris to get some advice on how to… manage this.”

“That might not be such a bad idea.” 

I looked at him and gave him a weary, but overall happy smile. He smiled back and wrapped an arm around my back, pulling me safely to his side. We continued walking to the park Maverick had mentioned, and he was right. It was very out of the way, almost on the other side of the City. But when we did arrive, I was so glad we had made the trip. It was a little pond, whose waters disappeared into a pipe that must have led outside of the walls. There were benches scattered around the edge, and we picked a seat underneath the branches of an old Elm tree. The leaves must have fallen a while back, and the barren branches gave way to the stars above. I sighed out loud, letting go of the breath I had apparently been holding.

“Do many people know of this place?” I asked curiously.

“No,” Maverick said. “Just a few guardians and a few locals. I never really see anyone here at night though. Anyone who finds this place… it’s like a secret, you know? You find it, but you don’t tell anyone.”

I looked at him with a smile and with my eyebrows raised. “Then didn’t you just tell the secret to me?” 

He looked at me with a smile, the mischievous look on his face made my heartbeat pick up. “It can be our little secret.”

My cheeks flushed with blush and I smiled as I looked away. He always knew exactly what to say to make my heart flutter and my stomach tie in knots, whether he realized it or not. I looked down and closed my eyes as I nestled closer against his side. His arm wrapped securely around my shoulder. We sat in comfortable silence, Maverick’s eyes were closed and I watched the stars above me.

“I should take you on a tour around France,” I said softly. “There’s still some old Renaissance art at the Louvre in Paris, Château d'If in Marseille, and if you go back to Paris at nighttime, and sit atop the Arc de Triomphe, you can see all of the stars in the world… since the lights in the city are now few and far between.”

“I’d like that,” Maverick said quietly. 

After a few more minutes of silence, I stood up slowly and walked towards the pond. “Ghost, how cold do you think that water is?” I asked her. She left my side and hovered over the pond for a moment. I looked at Maverick with a half smile on my lips.

“It’s about 5℃, why?” She asked as she flew back over to me.

“Oh no reason. Just thinking about a late night swim.” I looked over at Maverick with a teasing grin, then slid off my sweatshirt, boots, socks, and sweats. I could see his body starting to stiffen a little, like he was getting flustered, and I let out a giddy, happy laugh. And against the protests of my Ghost, I dove into the chilly water. It stung my skin and sucked the air out of my lungs, but this was the closest to feeling like I had a semblance of normalcy in my mind. All of my thoughts cleared as I sat under the water. I didn’t have to breathe, my Ghost could cover that.

“Genesis, are you alright?” Dawn asked.

“Fine,” I replied, “just… clearing my head. Looking for a bit of clarity.”

“You don’t normally go under water like this.”

“I’m not hearing his voice. My mind is clear. If this is what it takes for some quite… for some peace of mind, then so be it.”

There was silence between us for a few minutes. Dawn interrupted that silence. “Maverick is getting a little worried about you up there.”

“Is he?”

“Um, yeah he is.”

“I should probably head back up then, right?”

“Please do, he won’t shut up about you to his Ghost.”

I shook my head and swam up, the air filling my lungs and a sigh left my lips. I wiped the water out of my eyes and pushed my hair back, and sure enough, there was Maverick, kneeling on the water’s edge, staring at me with relief. 

“Jeez, why’d you do that?!” He exclaimed. “You just jumped in and disappeared!”

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to worry you, but my head hasn’t been clearer since we got home than when I was under water. I didn’t want to come back up.” I moved over to the edge and reached up. Maverick took my hand and started to help me out, but before he could get me out, I planted my feet on the wall, and pulled back with all of my strength. The moment I did, I heard Maverick shout a curse right before we both plunged into the water. I surfaced immediately and started laughing. Maverick was none too pleased. 

“Really? Really, Storm?” Maverick grumbled.

“Yes!” I giggled. “Come on, your reaction was priceless!” I wiped the water off my face as he turned around and started to walk back towards the edge, presumably to get out of the water. I swam up behind him quickly, and wrapped my arms around him, locking him in place. He stopped trying to escape from me and seemed to accept that I wasn’t letting him out of the water.

“I hate this,” he muttered under his breath as he turned around and faced me. He looked down at me and hesitantly placed his hands on my waist. I could see the upset in his eyes and yet, there was a softer look of an emotion I couldn’t place. Maybe sorrow, maybe compassion? All I could sense was the air of protection emanating from him as his grip settled firmly on my sides.

I smiled brightly and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Well, I love it,” I teased. “You need to loosen up a little more, you know.” His gaze turned soft and he started to look away, but I put myself back in his line of sight “Maverick? Mon cherie, what’s wrong?”

He took a deep breath and met my gaze. “Angel… my sweet angel…” he reached up and brushed the hair off of my face, pulled me close against his chest, and I could feel myself melting into his embrace. “I’m just… I’m worried about you. About this. About everything. Can you promise me something, Genesis?”

“Of course, anything.”

“If things ever start getting rough for you, or if his voice becomes too loud, promise me you’ll say something. Don’t keep quiet about it. I want to help you in any way I can, I want to protect you, but I can’t if you don’t let me…” 

I could feel my cheeks warming and I gently held the cool metal of his jaw. “Okay,” I sighed and relented. “I will, I promise.”

“Good,” he murmured, then leaned down and pressed his mouth piece against my lips. I closed my eyes and kissed him back, my heart fluttering and my skin crawling with the pleasurable chills that ran down my spine. This sense of electricity, this exhilaration I missed. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and his arms lifted me up a bit, holding me tight and close. We parted after a few moments in silence, our foreheads pressed against one another’s, and we exchanged a few soft, single kisses in the pond. 

“Can we get out of the pond now?” He pleaded quietly. “I still hate the water.”

I laughed softly and nodded, followed by a yawn. “Of course,” I said. We both climbed out and started to shake off the water. 

“You’re finally getting tired?”

“Yeah…” I started to pull on the sweats and sweatpants. “I can feel the exhaustion creeping in again.”

“That’s good. I can black out the apartment and you can get some sleep.”

“What do you mean?” I looked over at him as I pulled on my boots.

“Look,” He pointed up towards the sky and sure enough, the sky was starting to lighten as the sun began to rise. “It’s almost dawn.”

I yawned aloud as Maverick reached out and pulled me to my feet. We walked home and, along the way, I could feel myself start to sway and my vision was going in and out of focus. I was falling asleep on my feet. The Exo noticed this, and he lifted me off my feet. I clung to him and closed my eyes. I fell asleep as he carried me back to his apartment.

As he carried me back home.

* * *

*the term “hemosynth” was made by [@snailmeamail](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snailmeamail/pseuds/snailmeamail) to describe the fluids that run through exo bodies. it’s their form of blood, so to speak.


End file.
